The Runaways
by nightchildx
Summary: Evie's life as a runaway couldn't be easier. Two years with her band of fellow runaways in Santa Carla, and they've never run into vampires. Until now, of course! Marko/OC later on. Please review! Final chapter is up!
1. Chapter 1

**For Valerie and Sarah, because I adore you both so much… and because you think Marko looks like a lizard. :P Enjoy!!!**

It was about nine PM in Santa Carla that night. I lounged around the concession stands, waiting for my friend Victor to arrive. When I suddenly sensed trouble. I scanned the steady flow of people moving through the boardwalk.

A stick-like blonde girl and her friends sneered down at a frumpy teenage girl frantically picking up what was probably the contents of her purse on the black concrete. "Ooh, your bad Emma, you should be more careful." she said venomously. The similar looking group of girls around her snickered in unison.

The girl Emma didn't respond to the girl's hateful words and continued to pick up her things. Her hand reached out to pick up a silvery pen, when the blonde's spiky heel suddenly came down hard on Emma's hand. She cried out in pain and the blonde laughed.

I had enough of this. I picked up my blueberry smoothie and my black bag and walked towards the bully and her friends. This chick was going to her hers. I came up behind her and tapped her shoulder. Her demeaning laughter stopped and she turned to face me.

"What the hell do you want?" she snapped.

I tried my best not to smile, thinking of all the things I was capable of doing to her, but instead, I said "Leave her alone."

She told me to eff off and turned back to her friends. I finally allowed myself to smile. I dropped my back at my feet, popped off the lid of my smoothie and dumped it's contents all over the top of her head.

She gasped and whirled around, furiously. The smoothie dripped down her face and hair and onto her crisp white shirt. Her hands balled up into bony fists and she took a swing at my head. She missed and I grabbed her arm and flipped her over my shoulder. She fell to the ground with aloud crash.

I whipped around to the other girls. Grinning wildly, I dared them to come and get me. "Anyone else?" I was ready for a real fight.

Two edged away, but much larger girl with dark hair bravely (or idiotically, rather) lunged forward. I dodged her attack easily, and gave her a roundhouse kick to the face, and she toppled over. I prepared for another to come at me, but the other two were long gone. The blonde and her fat friend glanced up at me miserably.

A feral smile crossed my face. "BOO!" I yelled.

The blonde squeaked in terror, and scrambled away, her fat friend close behind her. I dusted my hands off, and grinned, victorious. My grin vanished when I remembered the bully's victim.

She was on her knees, cradling her injured hand. I looked down at her sympathetically. "Are you okay, Emma?"

She nodded. Her hand was bleeding freely. "Yes, it's just, my hand-"

"Say no more." I interrupted. "I've got something for that." I picked up my bag and rummaged through it. Emma watched me intensely until I fished out antiseptic and a roll of gauze. "Let me see."

She held her injured hand up and I poured the antiseptic into the wound. She winced. "It stings." she complained.

"It'll be worse, if it gets infected. Now for the gauze." I wrapped it around and tucked it in neatly. "There. Good as new." Emma inspected it. Seeming satisfied, she gave me a sincere smile and thanked me.

"Don't mention it." I grinned. If they give you any trouble, you can find me around here, about anytime. Now, get a move on honey."

I waited for her to disappear into the crowd before I sensed that someone's eyes were boring holes into the back of my skull. I turned. A group of men of about nineteen to twenty-three years of age were staring right at me. I ignored them and began to walk away, but apparently they had other plans.

"You've got some moves, little girl." an icy voice called from behind. "Wanna see some of mine."

I turned my neck and gave him an "eat shit" look, and kept walking. But he was persistent.

"Come on little girl, come fight with us!"

I came to a complete stop, and turned to face him. I took in his appearance. He was about six feet tall, with long dark hair tumbling down his shoulders. I smirked. He looked like a gay pirate. "I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request." I said trying to sound as intelligent as I could.

He gave me a blank look, and I sighed at his ignorance. "No."

"And why not, sweetheart?" another said standing uncomfortably close to me. His hair was a short, platinum blonde. He brushed a piece of my choppy, dark red hair out of my face. "You're a cute one too."

"You're persistent little buggers, aren't you?" I smiled venomously. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the other two edge closer and closer as well. I could almost see the dirty thoughts buzzing around in their heads.

"I'm just trying to have a little fun, is all." he said innocently, holding up his hands in defense. "You're just being a real stick in the mud."

"Yeah, I know, I'm no fun. Too bad for you, eh?" I glanced at his friends again. Behind them, I spotted a nine-year old boy with chocolate brown skin and black dreadlocks wandering around the concession stands. "Victor…" I mumbled.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" my annoying new harasser inquired. They all followed my gaze. "You like my bike?" He turned back. "Wait… where'd she go?"

When he looked away, I took advantage the moment and darted off. I ducked inside a small comic book store, and hid amongst the shelves. Hopefully his friends hadn't seen me when I ran for it. I waited a few seconds until I saw the group of men drive away on their motorcycles. I exhaled in relief.

"Looking for something?" came a new voice to my right. My head snapped up and I locked eyes with a boy about my age, his light brown hair was held back with a bandanna. He looked incredibly serious.

"Uh… no, I was just um… hiding." I explained quickly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Hiding?"

"Oh uh yeah, but they're uh… gone now." I smiled weakly. "Sorry, I just- this was the closest place I could find to hide in."

"Don't worry about it. I like to think of this place as a safe haven for all." He said in the most serious tone imaginable.

I almost laughed. "Oh, well, that's good then. I'm Evangeline., but please, call me Evie." I extended my hand.

He smiled and took it. "Edgar Frog, that guy over there is my brother Allen." He nodded his head to a dark haired boy organizing a stack of comics. At the sound of his name, he glanced up and gave me a curt nod, before resuming to his organizing.

Then I remembered Victor. "Oh, I'm actually meeting someone now, but maybe, I'll come see you both another time."

"I'll look forward to it." he said, and leaned against a shelf coolly. "Watch yourself, Evie."

I walked out and did a quick sweep of the area. The guys on the motorcycles were nowhere in sight. I went back for Victor.

He was still hanging around the stands, watching the locals wander aimlessly around the park. He was always the observant one. That was why we called him "Watchdog."

I called out to him "VICTOR!" His head turned in my general direction. I waved at him, and watched him smile and walk over to me.

"Evie, I've been waiting." he said. The colored lights of the stands reflected off his dark skin, illuminating him. "Church and Eli are back."

"Great, lets go then, Vic." I patted him on the back, and I forgot all about the creepy bikers. We began to walk home together.

After about forty minutes, we stopped in front of a large brick building on a more deserted end of Santa Carla. It used to be an asylum before my family and I moved in. And by family, I mean a bunch of ragtag runaways, living off stolen goods we'd thieved from anyone we deemed unworthy to have. We were like Robin Hood an his Merry Men. Minus the tights…

Vic and I walked to the left side of the building and ended up in front of a dumpster. To the untrained eyes, this was just some dirty old dumpster filled with rotten garbage. But to Vic and I, it was our front door. I pushed the dumpster away and revealed an old metal grate behind it. I pulled it up and waited for Victor to climb through, so I could do the same.

After securing the grate, I straightened and looked around. The room we had entered was what we assumed used to be someone's old office. It was musty and quiet inside, definitely not good for one's allergies. I brushed a piece of my hair our of my face and motioned for Victor to follow.

The asylum was enormous, and very easy to get lost in, but after a few months of residing there, we'd gotten the hang of it, and just breezed through. I walked down a long barren hallway and flung open the beaten door at the end. "We're home!" I called. My family turned to greet me.

"Evie! Church and Eli got pop tarts!" 12 year old Suzy shrieked and held up the box. They were strawberry.

"Yum." I said and ruffled her white blonde hair. I plopped down on a fat couch next to Eli. He was thirteen and furious at the whole world. "You have a good raid?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. Church said it was one of the easiest jobs we've had this year. Right Church?"

I looked over at the six-foot three teen looming the corner. He grinned and brushed his black hair out of his eyes. "Groceries are pretty much the easiest junk to get… Where's Dinah at?"

"Chu-u-urch!" a singsong voice called. "You got kitty food?" The owner of the voice walked in. Four-year old Dinah was church's baby sister. She looked just like him with the black hair and the cat green eyes, and the lightly tanned skin.

Church knelt down and picked her up. "It got the food. It's in one of the boxes, okay Dinah?" She gave him a sweet and sticky kiss, and it made my heart swell. She was such a sweet kid.

"I'll go feed the cats!" I volunteered. "I need to give them water anyway."

I left the others and wandered into the kitchen. I poured the food and waited for the cats to come. It didn't take long. The smokey gray and the reddish brown cats sauntered in, just as cats do. I addressed the gray one first, considering that he was_ my_ cat. "Hey Thursday! You hungry?"

He looked up as if he understood and answer with a low merowf. The other cat hopped up on the counter and purred. That one was Valentine. Suzy and Dinah shared an ownership over him.

Church suddenly appeared. "The kids need clothes." he said quietly. "There's another job we can pull for that."

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow. "When?"

"Tomorrow night. You up for it?"

Was I? Oh yes, I always would be.

A/N This is not my first fanfic, but I haven't done any for Lost Boys. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you ImaginationSation and Lordofthebreakdance for reviewing! I'm so glad you like it! I hope you'll like this one too!**

**And to DieInSilenceX, yes that line is in fact from Pirates of the Caribbean. Btw, I have a quote in here somewhere for you, see if you can spot it! :D**

It was late when the clothes store finally closed. The owner, a pudgy Asian woman in her fifties locked up and head towards her car. As she walked past me, I looked down and casually examined my fingernails, until I heard her car start. I tried not to smile, knowing that Suzy was still inside, waiting for my signal. She would be gone in seven… six… five… four… three two one!

I stood up from the curb and walked up to the shop door, and leaned against it. I chewed on my bottom lip, which was already ragged, from previous abuse, as I eyed the perimeter. There were a few people across the street, arguing about something, but it was unlikely they would notice me.

With my back still against the door, I rapped the glass a few times and waited. There was a small _click_, and the door opened. I slipped inside unnoticed.

"Good job, Suzy." I grinned.

A devious smile was returned. "Easiest shit ever. Now lets get us some shoes, girl!"

We began running down the aisles, throwing everything worth wearing into two cardboard boxes, we'd brought along.

For nearly an hour, we scoured the racks and shelves grabbing everything in sight, until I finally looked at the clock. Church and Eli were waiting for us in the get away car.

"Suze, it's late." I commanded. "Lets pack up." We grabbed the stuffed boxes and walked casually out the side door. I nodded to the back of the building where another street was exposed. "They're waiting over there."

We approached the stolen car and threw the goods in the trunk. After Suzy and I climbed in the back, Church started to drive us home.

I sat back and crossed my legs. "Eli, guess what?"

He did turn to face me. "What?"

"There's a comic book store over by the pier. I'll take you if you want." I smiled lightly. That sure got his attention.

"No shit?" he asked, with raised eyebrows. "Can we?"

"Sure. Just you and me. Church and Suzy can go get a smoothie or something'." I suggested. "How about that, guys?"

Church nodded. "Yeah, that's cool. Suze?"

Church pulled into the parking lot were we finally split up. I gave Suzy a goodbye hug, and headed to the store.

I could see that boy with the bandanna through the front window when we walked up. What was his name? Edgar, that was it. Edgar and Allen. Like that poet that wrote all that dark, creepy shit. Poe.

Edgar glanced up from a Green Lantern issue when I let Eli in. He raised his brow. "Didn't really think you'd come back." he said in his no-nonsense tone.

I approached him, grinning. "Yeah, well, thought I'd bring my brother and we'd read up on our Superman."

"A classic." he said. "Though do I prefer the Green Lantern"

"I can see." I scanned the rows of comic beside me. One in particular caught my eye. _Vampires Everywhere_, it was titled.

Apparently, Edgar saw what had grasped my attention. "You have a thing for vampires?" he mused.

"Not particularly," I said, and picked up the issue. "But I'm always up for something new."

"Vampires are very serious subject." someone from behind spoke. Allen had been standing right behind us the whole time, like a creeper.

I smirked. "Oh really?"

Allen glanced at his brother and they leaned in close. "They're all over Santa Carla." Edgar's deep voice whispered. "We're not safe."

I blinked. Not only was that unbelievably weird, but they were also invading my personal bubble. "…I… I'm not really sure how to respond to that…"

Sensing my doubt, they backed up an inch and let me breathe. Allen spoke next. "We understand your skepticism. But if you ever have vamp trouble-"

"-You know where to find us." Edgar finished. They both stared hard at me, as if the _really_ expected me to believe this.

"Uh, yeah I feel really… um… oh crap, it's late. Eli! Time to go!" I called, more than eager to get the hell out of there.

He looked up from a Batman comic. "But we just got here!" he complained. "Give me a minute."

"Move your ass, Eli!" I snapped and he complied, grudgingly, of course. I gave the Frog brothers an unconvincing smile and shuffled away. We left the store, feeling Frog eyes watching my back intently.

I shivered and glanced at Eli. He had a scowl glued to his face, and I immediately felt remorse. "I'm sorry, E. Those boys were really starting to freak me out with this vampire crap."

He sighed. "It's fine. I'll come back another time I guess. What did they say to you?"

"That vampires are everywhere, and I'm not safe. _We're_ not safe." I replied.

"Weird… just forget them, and lets go find Suzy and Church, okay?" Eli ran his fingers through his thick brown hair then shoved them in his jean pocket. "They're probably at the pier by now."

And indeed they were. We spotted them from afar, leaning casually against the wooden rails. Church sipped his smoothie while Suzy chatted away mindlessly. She looked up and saw us heading towards them and she waved.

I looked at Eli. "Looks like she got a smoothie for you. Go get it boy."

He picked up his pace and got to the others before I did. Suzy handed him his smoothie while simultaneously sipping from her own.

There was music playing from somewhere. I looked around an saw this shirtless dude with these massive muscles and long brown hair playing the sax, and man he was just rockin' the fuck out! He was shiny too…

I nudged Church. "Hey, what do ya bet that guy is gay?" He laughed and shoved me playfully. "Do you have a smoothie for me?"

"They were all out of blueberry." he apologized.

I shrugged. "No big deal. I'll go get a strawberry, or something. Be right back."

"Hurry back. Victor and Dinah will want theirs too, since it's been so long." Suzy called when I began to walk away.

I approached the smoothie bar, and ordered a classic strawberry, smiling graciously when it was handed to me. I took a sip. Mmm… artificial flavoring! I paused listened to the music continue to play. It wasn't really my favorite genre but, it was pretty fun. I was more of a KoRn, System of a Down, type girl. Of course, I loved classics, like AC/DC, Led Zepplin, and Queen. But I also listened to an oddball alternative type song.

I began to skip back to my family, singing to Come back to Texas by Bowling for Soup, along the way.

_Come back to Texas…_

_It's just not the same since you went away…_

_Before you lose your accent…_

_And forget all about the Lone Star State…_

_There's a seat for you at the rodeo…_

_And I've got every slow dance saved…_

The rumbling purr of motorcycle engines reached my ears and I stopped short. I whipped around and located the source. There. A young man about my age, maybe a bit older, was surrounded by four familiar men on four very familiar motorcycles.

He stood firmly, but I could see that he was intimidated by them. He spoke with them, and although I couldn't tell what they were saying, I knew it couldn't be good.

Suddenly, he nodded and climbed on a bike of his own, and their engine roared. The began to head my way, and I hurriedly tried to back out of their sight. The first to fly past me was the one with the short platinum hair, with a woman clinging to his back, followed by the dark haired one that hit on me, the other blonde, and lastly the one with the wild, curly hair and the large eyes.

For half a second, I thought I was in the clear… until curly-haired one spotted me. My heart stopped, and then he winked at me, simultaneously flashing an unbelievably sexy, Cheshire cat grin.

"_Oh crap!" _I felt my cheeks flush and looked away, mentally kicking myself for not hiding better. I tried to meet his eyes again, but he had already driven off with his friends.

Something about him gave me the chills. I tried not to think about it, but I felt that getting involved with any of those men would be an incredibly stupid idea. "Shake it off." I told myself. "Forget them."

"Hey! Move, girl!" a voice behind me made nearly me jump out of my skin.

I snapped back to reality, mumbled an apology and sidled to my left, letting an older man pass by me. I needed to get back to Church and the others.

I hurried back to the pier and ushered them back to the car, eager to get home and sleep. Besides, Victor was probably tired of watching Dinah, since neither of them were allowed to come on raids with us.

When we finally arrived home, I sent everyone to bed, except of course, for Church, but he was tired anyway. I, on the other hand, desperately wanted a shower, and walked down the endless halls of the asylum till I found what used to be the communal shower for the crazies that one resided here. I placed my pajamas in a corner where they wouldn't get wet, but placed the towel on the rack next to me. I turned on the shower head.

The water felt nice, and it calmed my nerves, especially after what happened tonight. I did something that I hadn't done in quite some time. I prayed to God that I wouldn't ever have to see those men ever again. Shower was over. I turned off the running water and reached for my towel. After I had wrapped my self up, I wrung my hair out, the droplets splattering across the already flooded floor. And then I noticed my clothes.

They were gone.

"I could have sworn I…" I began, and then I shook my head. I'm going crazy, I guess. Oh well. Still in my towel, I walked halfway out the door when I heard the tiniest hint of a footstep in the room across from me. Then it got deadly silent.

I stood absolutely still, listening hard… I heard a faint meow. I shook my head. Thursday had probably gotten himself stuck in a room again. I walked over to the room and pushed open the door.

"Thursday?" I called out gently. "Where are you, my morbidly obese baby?"

I waited. He didn't come, and I couldn't see him anywhere in that room. I tried again. "Thursday?"

"Not exactly, sweetheart…"

I gasped a whirled around. Four men; three blondes, one brunette. The bikers.

"Holy fuck, how'd you get in here?!" I shrieked, in shock.

The intruders grinned. "It wasn't hard." the platinum haired one said. "You should really cover yourself up." He paused and looked me up and down.

It was then, that I realized I was still in a towel, dripping wet. My cheeks flushed and I hugged the towel tighter, so it wouldn't fall down. "What do you want?" I spat.

"Oh, sweetheart, we just wanted to uh… apologize for our behavior last night." said platinum hair. "I'm David."

I had a heavy feeling in my stomach that he wasn't being so honest about that. "…Evie."

"Eevee? Is that short for something?" David asked, a flirty smile stretched across his lips.

"Evangeline." I answered. Maybe if I acted casual, they wouldn't try anything funny. There was no way, I was fighting them in a towel.

"Well, uh _Evie_…" he said, and pointed to the dark haired one "This is Dwayne. You've already met. This is Paul," he gestured to the other blonde, "and Marko." Curly hair, aka: Marko, gave me yet another mischievous grin. "Say hello, boys."

"Hello, Evie." they all said.

A/N Um… well, yes, I'm not a big fan of Bowling for Soup, I just really like that song. But, otherwise, this was almost a pain to write, because my brain suddenly died, and I got the entire plot mixed up. It's okay now, though… Review my dears!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay! Lovely reviews! Thank you so much for your support! I'm always happy to rite more when I know my work is appreciated!**

**DieInSilenceX: Sweet! Glad you caught it! Gotta love Destry!**

**Lordofthebreakdance: Yes, I'm sorry! I tend to leave off on the good parts, just to piss people off an wait around for more. I'm like Ryan Seacrest, huh? Haha!**

**ImaginationSation: Actually, I call my own cat that, because, well, he really is that overweight! Haha, but I love him!**

**Patriotgirl101: I'm glad you like Church's name, It makes me happy too! And your comment about my dialogue just… it just brought so much relief to me. I'm always freaked that I did a crap job on it! Thank you!**

I mustered a nervous smile. "…Uh, yeah hi.." I started to panic, frantically thinking of a way to get them the hell out of my home. But casually… "Y'know, it's really getting late. And by late I mean early, as in the sun will be up in an hour, and I have some sleep to catch up on, so…"

David's feral smile lost some of it's ferocity. He opened his mouth to speak, but snapped it shut and flicked his gaze over to the others. "…Oh, wow, boys, look at the time. It seems we've over stayed our welcome here. Ms. Evie, I think we'll be going now."

I crossed my arms and glared. "I'll show you the door." I heard my voice say emotionlessly. "Follow me then."

They shuffled back as I pushed through them and I led them down the intricate halls to a large window. It had been boarded up after the asylum was abandoned, but We had taken them down and fixed the window to open up like a door, and people would still think it was closed up.

I pushed it open and gave them the "after you" gesture . You know, the one you get when someone opens a big door for you and sweeps their arm out, letting you walk in first? Yeah. That's the one.

They all climbed out, one by one, all giving me a flirty smile as the passed. They, in turn, each received a glare, growing angrier and angrier with each intruder. David was last. He had put one foot out the window when he stopped and turned to me.

"By the way…" he began, and reached into his large coat. "These are yours." He pulled out a bundle of clothes and I took them.

My pajamas. That meant that I _did_ take them in the shower room with me, which meant that they had come in while I was…

My jaw dropped in anger and mortification, as I tried to search for the words to express my fury. I looked up, ready to lash out, but he had disappeared. I stuck my head out the window and looked left and right. They had all vanished. Of course, if I had looked directly up at the sky, I would have noticed four floating men, laughing their heads off at my humiliation. But considering that normal humans don't float, and I didn't suspect them to be anything but…I didn't. I went on to bed.

Sleep that night, er, morning, came easily to me, and much to my surprise, really. I assumed that the previous disturbance would at least bother me enough to disrupt my sleep pattern. Well, to say the least, I was glad it didn't, anyway.

I awoke, late that afternoon, my stomach on the verge of digesting itself, I was so hungry. I got up and walked into the kitchen. Dinah was already up.

She smiled brightly when I entered the room. "Hey Evie!" she chirped. "What's for breakfast?"

I gave her a bleary smile and glanced at the stove clock. 4:30. "Bacon." I replied. "Lots of bacon. Hell, I'll even make you an egg."

She gave me a wide grin. "I'll be your helper!" she offered cheerily.

Cooking, in my opinion, is a breeze. I've always had a knack for it, especially since… never mind. I got a little carried away. In a matter of minutes, I had piles of bacon, scrambled eggs, and a plate of hot biscuits set across the counter.

Dinah eyed the food, hungrily. "I'll go get Church."

"Forget it, sister, I'm already here." Church's voice came form the kitchen entrance. The smell had probably woken him up. "Thanks for cooking guys… Bacon…"

I told the two to grab their plates and eat. I'd go grab Eli, Suzy, and Vic, since their rooms were farther away from the kitchen. After I had gathered the other three, we finally sat down and ate.

Suddenly Church spoke. "I can't find my Playboy's. They've disappeared."

"My profound sympathies." I said, my voice thickly coated with sarcasm, especially since I was the one who had taken them and thrown them away.

Church glanced in Eli's general direction, who shrugged innocently. "I didn't do it, man."

Victor snickered, and pushed around his scrambled eggs with a fork. Suzy glared at Eli, obviously not believing him.

"I really didn't do it, guys!" Eli's voice started to rise. "God, why does everyone think I'm a liar?"

Knowing Eli, this was going to get ugly, and fast. "No one thinks you're a liar-" I tried, but he cut me out.

"First my parents, then the cops, now you guys? Why is everything my fault? WHY?" His voice started to rise into hysteria. He abruptly bolted away from the table and out of the room.

I sighed. "Great. Just great. Church, he didn't take them. If you're looking for your magazines, they're in the trash."

"What?!?"

"Shut up, Church."

I found Eli in his room, laying flat on his back in his bed. His gaze locked with the ceiling fan whirling endlessly. I sat down beside him.

"It's never going to be easy, you know." I said bluntly. "Being a runaway. But you know we love you, and we'll always look out for each other, right?"

"…Right."

I leaned over and planted a fat kiss on his forehead. He grimaced and wiped it away. I grinned. "There's no getting rid of that. You're just rubbing it in."

And then he smacked me with a pillow.

Our origins are similar, and yet they differ, greatly. Eli's parents were emotionally abusive, convinced that he was a pathological liar. One day, he witnessed a rape/murder of a young girl, and tried to report it, only to be ridiculed by his parents and the police. He ran off soon after. Church and Dinah's parents were killed in a fire, and Church just couldn't stand the thought of being separated through foster care. Victor's mother died when he was two, and was raised by his heroin addict father. Suzy's parents on the other hand, dunked her into a bathtub filled with boiling water when she asked Santa for a doll for Christmas. We had all found each other after years of pain and isolation, longing for a family. We got our wish.

Reflecting on all these horrid memories put a heavy weight on top of me. I needed to get out of there. After arranging my outing with the others, who agreed to give me my alone time, I headed off to the pier.

After I sat around the pier for half an hour, my boredom got the best of me. I wanted to do something I thought I'd never want to do again. I was going to visit the Frogs.

It took all my effort to set foot in the comic store again. They had their backs to me, seeming to be speaking to someone else. I came up behind the brothers, who hadn't noticed me yet. "Evenin' Frogs!." I said in my loudest, cheeriest voice I could muster.

They jumped in surprise and turned to face me. I grinned, absolutely loving their shocked expressions.

"Shit, Evie, don't do that!" Alan hissed.

"My bad." I shrugged.

Edgar's eyes narrowed. "Why are you here?"

"What? Can't I come visit my new friends?" I said, trying to be cheery. It failed. "… Oh alright. I wanted to apologize. I was really rude to you both last night."

The brothers exchanged looks. "Don't worry about it Evie." Edgar said. "We understand that some people can't really accept the paranormal. Not like we do."

"So… we're cool? Like my conscience shouldn't eat me alive anymore?" I asked. They nodded. "Sweet."

I turned my attention to the being they had been speaking to, prior to my spastic interruption. I smiled warmly at him.

Edgar introduced him. "This is Sam. He's new in town.."

Sam gave me a cool smile in return. "Hi."

"I'm Evie, nice to meet you, Sam." I noticed he held a comic in his hands. "What've you got there?"

He held it up so I could see. _Vampires Everywhere_! "I'm not really into vampires though." he shrugged.

I threw the Frogs a dirty look. "Were you bothering this poor child?" I demanded, though somewhat playfully.

"Define, bother…" Alan said.

I snatched a comic and smacked his arm lightly. He flinched. "You know what I mean." I turned to Sam. "They've been going on about vampires?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

I smacked Alan's arm again. This time, a little harder. "Leave the poor boy alone. He's new."

"Yes, ma'am." they mumbled, shuffling their feet.

"That's what I thought… Now Sam, do you have any siblings?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"Err, yeah I have an older brother, Michael. You won't see him around these days really. He spends all his time with these obnoxious bikers all night long." he said, grudgingly.

Obnoxious bikers? Why does that sound so, irritatingly familiar? "Do these bikers have these crazy clothes and hair?" I asked, curiously.

"Yeah, exactly. They're all blonde except for one of them. Do you know them?"

"Know them? The broke in to my home last night and stole my pajamas!" I snapped.

"Pajamas?" Edgar mused.

"Yep." I nodded. "They just came over to harass me. Remember when I came in the other night, Edgar? Told you I was hiding from someone?"

"Yeah."

"Same douche bags from before." I said, a frown growing across my face. "And they fucking know where I fucking live."

Suddenly a voice from the back growled out "Frogs! We're closing up!"

I looked into Edgar's face. He shrugged, and ushered Sam and I out the door. "Sorry, guys. "he apologized. "Boss says out." He shut the door and flipped the open sign to closed.

I looked at Sam. "That was… rather urgent… Great. Now what am I supposed to do tonight?"

He was silent for a moment. "Well, my mom wants me back soon anyway…You want me to walk you home?" he offered.

I clicked my teeth. "Well actually, as nice as that sounds, I really don't want you seeing my house."

He looked a little hurt at that. "Oh." he said simply.

I realized my mistake. "Oh, no I don't mean it like that. See, I live in, well… it's kind of a madhouse you see…" I almost laughed, considering it really _was_ a madhouse. "and it's a bit embarrassing for me."

His expression lightened. "Oh. I understand. I'll see you around, I guess."

I smiled brightly. "Yeah. It was nice meeting you Sam."

I had just arrived home early when a sudden thought hit me like an eighteen wheeler. It was Dinah's birthday tomorrow! And I'd forgotten her present! I mentally slapped myself. "_You dumb bitch! You'd better come up with a plan for tomorrow."_

I sought out Church. "Dude," I said, when I finally located him "Tomorrow is your sister's birthday."

He nodded. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"Yes…" I mumbled. "But I have a plan!"

I had it all figured out. When Dinah awoke tomorrow afternoon, I'd take her out for a little field day, just me and her. (Bad grammar!) I'd buy her a dress and some ice cream, and she'd never even tell I'd forgotten. All the while, at home the others would set up a surprise party for her, we'd come back, and let her open gifts. It was brilliant! Right?

Little did I know that my decision to take Dinah out for her birthday alone would have a much for devastating effect than I could have possibly imagined.

**A/N Uh oh! Foreshadowing! Haha, thanks for reading everyone! Hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to review!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**As always, thanks to all my reviewers!!**

**DieinsilenceX: Well, because you were being stupid, I'm not going to tell you. You'll just have to read! :P JK, Love Ya!**

**To Patriotgirl101: Yes, I know, I suck for leaving such an interesting ending. Haha, thanks again! Love Ya!**

**To Lordofthebreakdance: Well the devastating effects are here! I mean, taking Dinah isn't going to cause a problem, but if she had only taken all of them… Love Ya!**

**Sarah: Hey girl hey! Glad you like it. And you know it's because of you this story even exists! Love Ya!**

I was crouched inside a small dark place, my legs beginning to cramp up. Confusion, panic, fear, all these things began to well up inside me. Why was I here? I couldn't understand what was happening, but something in my gut was absolutely sure it wasn't good. A small vertical strand of light suddenly appeared inches from my face, making me flinch. I reached out to touch it, until my fingers felt a hard surface. It was a door of some sort. I cracked it open, just barely. Then there was noise. Grunts, crashing, then screaming.

Mother. I wanted to run to her, but my legs wouldn't move. More grunts, loud, and then a sickening squishing sound. A gasp, and my mother's screams again. Instinct said to help her, but my legs had locked up for good now. A dark figure crashed down in front of me, outside the little door. It was a man. A dark red liquid under him began to pool out. I pushed the door open a little further.

Blood. Daddy? Dead? Yes.

I felt my heart split in two, but the sound of it breaking was drowned out my mother's screams again. I could see her now, on her knees, clawing wildly at a figure in black. His face was motionless. He had her by her hair. She screamed and grabbed at the small locket that hung on her neck. A sudden flicker of annoyance crossed the stranger's face and he pulled something from his pocket. A gun? No! Mama! Move! No!

_Bang!_

My heart was pounding mercilessly in my chest when I awoke. I was overheated and sticky from sweat underneath my heavy blankets. I kicked them off and flopped backward. The sweat on my skin cooled rapidly as I tried to shake the nightmare out of my thoughts. I hadn't had that one in at least a year.

I glanced at the clock. The red blaring letters read 4:00 PM, and I sighed. Maybe a little cooking would get my mind off things. Yes. Dinah's birthday breakfast. I rolled off my bed and headed to Dinah's room. She was already awake, like she usually was, sitting up in her fat pink chair, cradling her favorite doll.

"Happy Birthday, Dinah!" I said, and she laughed. "How old will you be today? Twelve?"

She giggled. "Five! I'm five Evie!"

"Five? Of course you are! How could I forget silly!" We laughed, and I gave her a hug. "What do you want for breakfast my love?"

She pondered for a moment. "Pancakes!!" she exclaimed.

"An excellent choice, my dear. I'll start making them right away!" I smiled and escorted her to the kitchen.

She sat on top of the counter. "Will you make mine shaped like bunnies?" she asked sweetly.

I nodded. "Yes, ma'am, I sure will. And guess what?"

Her eyes grew to an enormous size in excitement. "What? What?" she begged.

"I'm going to take you out today! Just you and me! I'm going to take you to get some ice cream, and we'll go get you a pretty dress!" I said, hoping she would buy it.

She squealed. "Yay! Thank you Evie!"

Yep. All was right with the world.

After everyone was up and had eaten their fill of syrup soaked pancakes, I sent Dinah off to get dressed and get ready to go. Church and I cleaned up the mess. Or the aftershock really, considering that the kitchen looked like an earthquake had just come to pass.

Seconds after I had put up the last of the plates up, Dinah came racing into the room, jumping up and down excitedly. I gave Church a knowing smirk, and we left.

We didn't take the car. I led Dinah to the pier and let her walk around. She wanted to buy a dress first, and I was happy to comply. The first little store we went into seemed a little too fancy for my taste. But it was Dinah's birthday, not mine. She tried on at least fifteen dresses before she got bored and wanted ice cream.

"Alright, girly, there's a little ice cream parlor around here somewhere." I mumbled and we went off in search of it.

There it was, right on the corner. We weaved through the crowd of people to get to it. Thankfully the line wasn't as horrible as the traffic. Rush hour, maybe? After about ten minutes, it was our turn.

Dinah inspected the buckets of ice cream, before making a decision. "That one." she pointed to a tub of bright blue ice cream.

"Cotton candy?" I grimaced. "Are you sure?"

"Cotton candy!" she nodded.

She got a sugar cone of the cotton candy, and I got a cup of the Cherry Garcia. We sat out at their pier again and ate, chatting up a storm. It was still light out, but the sun would soon set in about an hour. We had to start looking for that dress before the shops started to close.

"You finished?" I asked as soon as I chewed the last of my cone. "Cause we need to get moving."

Dinah consumed her final pieces and wiped her hands with a napkin. "Ready." she announced.

We visited a little shop across from this video store. WE went inside and Dianh immediately spotted her dress.

"Evie, isn't this one pretty?" she smiled.

"Yes, it's very you." I grinned and held up the dress. I was a pretty dark green satin with a black ribbon around it. The sleeves were short and there was no frill to the dress either. I'd definitely wear it… if it wasn't ten sizes too small and I actually enjoyed wearing dresses.

"This one would be pretty on you too." she said and grabbed a random dress from the rack.

I took a look at it. It was a bright pink silk with a puffy sleeves. Saying that I hated it would be too mild a word to describe my feelings for this dress. I searched for an answer.

"Its… pretty Dinah, but I think it would clash with my red hair." I lied. Well, no it wasn't a lie. Some red heads can't wear pink.

She shrugged. "Can we get it?"

"Of course we can my love. Lets try it on first."

It fit her perfectly. And it looked fabulous on her. We purchased the dress and walked outside. It had just gotten dark and there was no trace of the sun in the sky. The lights of the pier lit up the streets.

"You want to ride the carousel before we go home?" I asked.

"Yeah! Lets go!" she yelled and bolted across the street.

"Dinah! Wait!" I called out, and ran after her. Her tiny legs couldn't keep up with her own pace. I watched as she suddenly tripped up on the curb and fell on her face, out on the sidewalk. She landed at the feet of a small woman with a cute reddish pixie cut.

"Crap." I muttered when I finally got to her.

The woman was already tending to Dinah's minor injury. Speaking to her softly and smiling gently.

"It's alright, sweetheart, it's only a little one." she said soothingly. Dinah's lower lip trembled, but tears did not come.

I kneeled down beside her and helped her up. Then I looked to the woman. "Thank you." I smiled gratefully.

A sugary sweet smile crossed her own face. "Oh it's no trouble. I have my own two kids, Michael and Sam, and well, let me say my motherly instincts just took over."

Michael and Sam? "Are you… new in town?" I asked in all seriousness.

She nodded. "Is it that obvious?"

"Well, I think I've met Sam actually." I said. "Last night at the comic store down the street. He said he had a brother named Michael and so I just guessed."

"Oh, wow, how funny is this?" she laughed. "You really must have met him, Sam told me he visited a comic store last night!"

"Small world, huh?" I grinned.

She laughed again. "I suppose it is. I'm Lucy, by the way."

"Evie, it's nice to meet you." We shook hands. "This is Dinah, my uh, sister."

Dinah smiled shyly. "It's my birthday! We're going to ride the carousel." she exclaimed.

"Oh my! Happy birthday Dinah! To the Carousel, you say? Don't let me take up tyour time, you two go have fun." Lucy smiled.

I thanked her again and we departed. A few blocks, and four hot dog vendors later we found the carousel and climbed aboard. Dinah sat atop a intricately decorated white horse, whereas mine was black and more simplistic. The ride was short, but amusing nonetheless.

We headed home as I was sure Dinah's surprise party was ready by now. Didn't want Dinah to be tired out so I gave her a piggyback ride halfway home. I started to turn the last corner when the second most terrifying sound to a runaway reached my ears.

Sirens.

I put Dinah down and craned my neck to see. My eyes widened in horror. The asylum, my home, was surrounded by dozens and dozens of police cars. They found us.

I cursed and pulled Dinah back. I hissed in her ear to hide by the nearest alley and wait for me. She understood my urgency and darted off.

I put up the hood of my jacket and peered around the corner again. Cops were everywhere, swarming around like wasps. I watched intently.

Suddenly, bursting through the front door, kicking and screaming wildly in a chokehold by two cops was Eli, and Church. And boy, were they putting up a fight. It took three to hold down Church. But Eli, being quite slippery pulled away from the grasp of his captors and began yelling hysterically saying "I WONT GO BACK! I WONT! NO! NO!"

His next move would prove to be incredibly horrific mistake. He pulled out a knife. He began to swing around wildly at anyone who tried to get close to him.

Just when I thought it could get any worse, the most heart stopping noise split the wailing sound of the sirens. A gun shot.

Then Eli collapsed, officially shutting my whole world down.

I couldn't look anymore, though my eyes were wide open in shock. I leaned against the building and slid down. Suzy's cries and Church furious voice could be heard faintly over the sirens.

And then another horrible thought hit me. Church, Suzy, Victor. They would be taken away to foster care, and I would never see my family again. I could never go home again, and I could never stop hiding now.

What would I tell poor Dinah?

I realized how unsafe it was for me to just be standing here in the open, where any policeman could spot me. Aching for home, and family, for Eli, I willed myself away and hid with Dinah.

I found her hiding behind a trashcan, clutching the bag that contained her new dress. She looked so worried, her eyes vast green pools of concern.

"What's wrong?" she asked. But I could answer. I just picked her up and started walking. After a several blocks she asked another question. "Where are we going?"

"A safe place." I said simply. "There's a tree house somewhere in the woods. We're going to spend the night there."

"Like a sleepover/"

"Like a sleepover, Dinah."

The tree house mentioned was my first home as a runaway. After meeting Church and Dinah three years ago, we had constructed it together, and lived inside comfortably. Until we met Suzy, Victor and Eli. The small spaces of the tree house, we realized was now an issue. That's why we relocated to the asylum.

We walked several miles before my feet gave out from beneath me. We had ventured into the woods quite a bit, and the tree house was only just in sight. I sighed, feeling exhausted and pathetic.

"It's up there Dinah, do you see it?" I said, pointing.

"Yes…" she mumbled sleepily. "I remember this place."

I approached the tree and glanced up. It still seemed to be in pretty good shape. There was a rope ladder leading up, and I found myself with just enough energy to climb it. It was small inside, but there was just enough elbow room for two, maybe three children. Luckily neither of us were complete whales and didn't take up much space.

I took my hoodie and bunched it up for a pillow. I was forced to do the same with Dinah's new dress. She didn't complain.

The morning sun had just begun to shine through the trees as Dinah and I shut our eyes and fell in a deep, exhausted sleep.

A/N Yes. The cops finding the kids and Eli's death are all because Evie took only Dinah with her and not everyone else. Well, I'm not sorry I did it, otherwise my plot would be nonexistent. Really, there'd be no point without this chapter. Thanks for reading, please review!! Update will be up shortly!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Excellent turnout of reviews! I was so happy to come home and there's like six new ones! Yay! Thank you! Hope you enjoy this next chapter just as much!**

**Patriotgirl101: Well, I'm glad you feel for Eli. But don't worry about Church he'll be good. Probably.**

**Sarah: Yes, Sarah bear, you know how I like to kill off people. And plot twists. A few of those will be coming round soon. And yes. If the three of us were in that tree house, it would collapse.**

**Lordofthebreakdance: Haha, glad you liked it! And yeah, the boys will be in this chapter.**

**Queenbrooklyn67: Yeah, I love Church too! I might have a chapter in his POV later on.**

**DieInSilenceX: Evie is no chicken. Alota crap will happen and she'll come through. **

**.x: Thanks! Glad you like it **

My much needed sleep was interrupted by another force of nature. Hunger. I sat up, my bones creaking from slumbering on the hard wooden floor. My back was sore.

Dinah's eyes fluttered open and she smiled thinly. "Hungry." she pouted.

"Me too." I agreed. "Lets go to the store."

I crawled out of the house and descended the rope ladder. The sky was a blood red, with streaks of pink and purple, a lovely sunset. I had to get to the grocery store quickly, seeing that it would be quite ark soon.

I came into town just as the colored sky turned black and street lights lit up the sidewalk. The grocery store was still open, and I quickly ran inside. A blast of cool air hit me square in the face when I entered, catching me by surprise. I fingered what cash I had in my pocket. Forty two dollars and twelve cents. That would be enough for a few days.

I roamed the isles, basket in hand, grabbing apples from the fruit section. Now we needed water, bread and some form of protein. I scanned the shelves. Protein bars, maybe? Yeah. That'd do. Dinah went for a bag of marshmallows, but I told her we could only get the important things. She quickly retorted that marshmallows were in fact, very important to her, but I warned her with a stern look and she ceased her chatter, though a pouty look remained. I grabbed a box and tossed it in the basket.

We checked out with nineteen dollars left in my pocket only two bags to carry. I walked briskly down the street with Dinah close behind, when something caught my eye.

In the shop window to my right were several television sets set to the same channel. A female news anchor at her desk, and began a report on what the police had done to my family last night.

"_Three runaway children were taken into custody last night, after three years of tracking them down. John Church, Suzanne Drew, Victor Harris and Eli McKay were found hiding out in an abandoned asylum in Santa Carla, and apparently had been living there comfortably for three years alone. A tussle between police and the children left Eli McKay dead, after he pulled out a knife, refusing to be taken away."_

At Eli's name, my hands balled up into fists and a mixture of anger and intense sadness surged through me.

"_While the other children have been taken to social services, police are still on the lookout for two other runaways, Dinah Church, sister of John Church, and Evangeline Blackmoore, a genius violinist who disappeared after her parent's grisly murder three years ago."_

I cursed under my breath. Perfect. Now everyone in the city would be looking for us. But the reporter wasn't finished yet.

"_If you see either of these girls, contact the authorities immediately. They are not said to be dangerous, but you are advised not to approach them."_

Two photos appeared across the screen, the one of Dinah, held in her parent's arms, and an old school photo of myself. It wasn't a flattering one either.

Damn. Now anyone could recognize us! Worse. _He_ could come looking for me. That was it. We had to get out of Santa Carla, and fast! I pulled up the hood of my jacket and held Dinah close to me.

"Keep your head down." I hissed, then added gently, "Can you do that for me?"

"Yes." she said sadly and ducked her head.

We turned to walk back to the tree house when a cop car came into view. I cursed again and briskly walked the opposite way, towards the pier. We were sure to lose the cops in the crowd of people.

Our pace slowed once we were amongst the more heavily populated area, wanting to appear what some may define as "normal." I stopped short. Through the mass of humans walking aimlessly, a woman with long dark hair and eyes was staring directly at me with great intensity. Her attire was gypsy-like, long and layered, and billowy. Her lips moved, though over the dull roar of the crowd around me, her words weren't audible. I stared back with mild curiosity.

A tug on my sleeve brought drew my attention from the mysterious woman. I glanced down at little Dinah, who had been the one to interrupt the bizarre trance.

"What?" I said, in a rather short tone.

"I wanna see Church." she whined. Her green eyes begged sadly. God, I couldn't stand it.

"Not now, Di, we're in trouble." I looked back at the woman. In place of her stood only an empty space. The woman had vanished. "Weird." I mumbled. I had barely taken a step when I came within inches to colliding with another being. It was the woman.

"Oh!" I gasped. "How did you-"

"You'll be safe with me." she said unexpectedly.

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

"I know you need somewhere to hide."

I shook my head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I want to help you. Your situation is dire." Her dark eyes were determined. Or were they nervous? "I can take you both where no one would think to look for you."

How could I trust this woman? She could be an undercover cop.. I mean, sure she seemed sincere, but she gave me this feeling, like she'd be more trouble that I'd imagine. Like there was a secret that would somehow take hold of me and pull me in deep. Too deep to crawl out of.

I opened my mouth to speak, but I spotted a blue uniform from afar. My sense of urgency took over and I knew we had to get out fast. I still didn't trust her but, what choice did we really have?

I bit my lip, still unsure about my hasty decision. "If I go with you and you turn out to be a cop, don't be surprised if I try to kill you."

She took that as a yes. "Follow me, Evie."

We moved quickly. Dinah had very little trouble keeping up, but still I was worried about her. She never spoke a word. Our only communication was through simple gestures such as "hurry," or "this way." We wove through the streets, in an almost snake-like pattern, until we finally reached a very open, sparsely populated area. Beyond this area was a sandy plain, sprinkled with sickly weeds here and there. She stopped and waited for us to catch up. We halted beside her and waited for her next move.

"We'll take a breather here." she said when we slowed down. "We still have a bit to go. But we'll get there sure enough."

Winded, I sat down with an audible _thump_, and Dinah nearly collapsed beside me. Poor baby. "Look." I said irritably, "I know we didn't really have time for introductions, or other such pleasantries, but could you _please_ identify yourself in any way, shape, or form?"

"Star." she replied.

I looked up at the sky. "What about them?" I asked.

An amused laughed escaped her. "No, no, my name _is_ Star." she explained.

"That's pretty." Dinah spoke up. Then she grimaced unexpectedly. "I have a crap name. It's Dinah."

"Watch your mouth, Di." I warned, although inside I thought it was funny.

Star laughed again. "I know your name Dinah, and believe me, your name is _not_ crap."

Dinah gave a toothy smile and I cleared my throat. "So, how much farther?" I asked.

"A few miles down that way." Star pointed out towards the planes of sand. "It'll be rather difficult on foot, but hey, you gotta do whatya gotta do".

I half grinned. "Well said. Do we need to get along now?"

The walk over the Santa Carla desert was absolutely exhausting. I was afraid poor Dinah's little legs would collapse before long. I ended up carrying her for the remainder of our sojourn. After awhile, Star announced that our destination was only a minute away, and I let Dinah walk from there. We followed her down into what looked like the entrance to a cave, dark and narrow and wet from the spray of the sea. My uncertainty led me to stop short. I didn't like this.

Star seemed to sense my doubt. "You two are safe here. I promise." God, she seemed so sincere, and I wanted to believe her so badly. For me, for Dinah.

I followed her blindly, completely unaware of how much trouble, and how much love and hate would intrude in my life because I was stupid enough to trust this woman. Damn it. We finally came into a large room, sort of built into the cave. This was almost what I had expected. It was enormous, I'd give it that, but it was rather dilapidated; Rocks, wood, and other debris was scattered everywhere, littered around carelessly. Everything had a thick coat of dust on top as well.

"My God, Star." I mumbled, holding Dinah close to me. "Is this for real?"

The look she gave me was almost shameful. "Yes." she said quietly, as if she was trying to apologize. "I know it's kind of a dump, but that's because we're not going to be here alone…"

What? My eyes narrowed into slits. "And who, dare I ask, is living here as well?"

She bit her lip and lifted her hand. Her index finger extended into a point, signaling that I should turn around. My brow furrowed and I turned.

"Oh, no…" I said, positively horror-struck.

"Oh yes." said David and he grinned amusedly. "Hi Evie."

Far up on another side of the cave sat Paul, who lounged atop a short rounded stone wall, while David and the other two blondes were leaned up against the rocky walls of the cave. Feral smiles were plastered to their gorgeously terrible faces, a hungry glint in all eyes.

Furious, I whipped around to face Star. "IS THIS A JOKE?!?" I cried, my voice shrill. "Really, Star? _Really_? 'Cause it's _not_ funny!!"

She merely ducked her head and pulled her shawl tightly around her torso. I heard a small thump behind me and Dinah whimpered. I turned again. David and Marko were looming over us, still smiling like animals. David kneeled down and gently traced Dinah's chin.

"Hiya, cutie." he said. He reached out and traced her chin gently.

"I bite." Dinah growled, and she took a snap at him, barely missing his pale hand. I nearly laughed. She smiled, obviously pleased with herself.

I pulled her back and inch as David stood up and gave her a wary look. Paul and Dwayne were cracking up and Marko's Cheshire Cat smile lit up his face. David regained his mischievous composure and addressed me next. "We came to uh, visit you again last night."

My jaw clenched. "Oh…?" I hissed, unforgiving.

He continued. "Yes. But as it turns out, it doesn't look like that's your house anymore."

I bit my lip and looked down, already feeling homesick. "I don't see why you'd care." I mumbled.

"It's because we like you, Evie. That's right." he said when I looked up in surprise. "Actually, we like you _so_ _much_, we want you to stay."

I suddenly noticed how close he was to me. How close all four bikers were. I didn't even see Paul and Dwayne move. They stood perfectly still, hovering over us and awaiting my response.

"I hope you don't expect me to say yes." I said, taken aback by this sudden offer. "I mean, why the hell would I?"

"There's nothing in it for us. We mean well." said the gay pirate, err, I mean Dwayne.

I scoffed. Please. The road to hell is _paved _with good intentions.

"You need us." Star broke in, unexpectedly. She made her way over to us. "You're in trouble, and we can see that. Think of Dinah." She gestured to the five-year-old girl.

And I was. This wasn't fair to her, losing her parents, her brother _and_ her home. Honestly, it wasn't fair to either of us, but she was just a baby. As of now, she was my responsibility. Dinah comes first.

I took one look at my sister and decided. "I guess I have no choice."

The boy's voices erupted in a loud cheer, and Star placed a hand on my shoulder, in confidence. Dinah's cat eyes glanced up at me, unsure.

I sighed. God, here we go.

A/N Yay! Another update! I just couldn't decide how to end this one, but I finally did it! BTW there's a poll on my profile i'd like you to look at! I hope you enjoyed it, And I'll be working on the next ASAP! Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Ah yes, a nice batch of reviews! Many thanks, as always!! Sorry It's taken so long to get this up! I've been busy! Thanks for being patient!**

**Sarah and DieInSilenceX: I'm glad you both like it! Marshmallows are an important part of a balanced diet! Haha.**

**Queenbrooklyn67: Whether Dwayne is gay or not, that's the signals he's been sending me. Same for the pirate issue, ha ha. And yeah, Dinah's a fiery kid when she needs to be. I admire that about her.**

**Patriotgirl101: Hell yes she bites! But the boys would know all about that, wouldn't they? Roflmao**

**Deadlyxpapercut: Awesome! Happy you enjoy it! And there'll be plenty more ahead, I promise!**

"Now John," Ms. Helms tried to reason, "We only want the best for Dinah and Evangeline, but we can't help them if we don't know where they are."

Church stared emotionlessly at the young social service worker. She was a petite blonde, her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. She was cute, kind, inexperienced, and quite stupid if she thought for even a second he would rat out his own sisters. And he did _not_ like being called John.

"Look sweetheart," he began, "You obviously don't know how this works."

She raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Don't I?"

"You think a foster home is what we want? And complete strangers for guardians are what's best for us? We were happy on our own. We don't want- no- we don't _need_ you."

Ms. Helms pursed her lips. "I can see that that your past traumas have influenced your judgment. Your parent's death was completely out of your hands. But being on your own gives you a feeling of control, a sense of power over your own life that you are now unwilling to give up."

Church scoffed. That was complete bullshit. He just didn't want Dinah taken away form him. "Lady, you have some seriously twisted logic."

"I will ask you only once more. Are Evangeline and Dinah still in Santa Carla?"

Church smirked. "Maybe." he said, playing coy. Not that he was really certain if they were. But if he knew Evie, (which he did) she was still hanging around in the murder capital of the world.

Ms. Helms leaned forward. "So you admit they are?"

"I never said that."

She sighed and held up her hands as if to say "I surrender" and she stood up from the table. "Agent Bishop will see you in a moment. He'd like to speak with you as well."

She promptly left the room, leaving Church isolated for an unbearably long hour. He was in moments of dozing off when the door knob clicked alerting him. A tall, reasonably attractive man with dark hair, blue eyes, and of a medium build entered. His attire consisted of a simple black suit and tie, a watch, and a security pass. Church assumed he was about thirty five to forty years of age, when the took the seat across from him.

"John Church?" he spoke, his voice was fairly deep. "I'm Agent Bishop. I'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."

"Oh I mind." Church mumbled. But Bishop didn't seem to hear him.

"What can you tell me about Evangeline Blackmoore?" was his first question.

Church shrugged. "She's the reason we've been safe this whole time. We love and respect her."

"Are these the only feelings you harbor for Ms. Blackmoore?" Bishop asked.

"You mean like, am I attracted to her? No. She's cute and everything, but she's too much of a sister to me. Besides, I'm not into redheads."

He nodded and pulled out a pad and pencil. He scribbled down a few words and continued. "What has she told you about her past?"

Church leaned back, uncertain that he should be answering.. "Just that her parents were murdered."

Agent Bishop visibly tensed. He clicked his teeth and asked another question. "Did she ever say if she knew the killer?"

The teen narrowed his eyes. Something seemed off about the man. "No. She said it was a stranger." he paused. "But she did say she would recognize him anywhere. That she would kill him herself if she got the chance."

Bishop's pencil hovered of the pad, though no writing was put down. He licked his lips and shoved both items into his coat pocket.

"I want to see Vic and Suzy." Church said suddenly.

The agent's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Why would they want to see you? It's your fault your friend was killed."

Church shot up from his chair and grabbed the man by his throat. He leaned in close to his face and hissed venomously in his ear. "Don't you _ever_ talk about him, you disgusting piece of crap! It's scum like you that killed my brother!"

Not a second later, two police officers burst through the door and wrenched Church of off Bishop. The boys wrestled vigorously with the two cops as they dragged him into a containment cell.

Bishop rubbed his newly bruised throat. "So she knows me, huh?" he said. Memories of crimson-black blood and a screaming woman brought a satisfied smirk to his face. The murderer of Mr. and Mrs. Blackmoore now knew what he had to do.

Find and kill Evangeline Blackmoore.

My agreement with the boys was celebrated for only a few moments, much to my relief. It was a difficult, sudden decision. Combined with my grief for Eli, it was just too much. I desperately needed to be alone.

Dinah took to the boys almost immediately. Mostly I think their wild behavior amused her greatly, laughing at every high jump and back flip performed. She sat atop a large rock totally engrossed.

I hung back, not quite as willing to accept, when a small sound alerted me from behind. I turned and ended up facing a young boy, about eleven years old. His limp brown hair hung around his small, angular face.

I smiled warmly at him, trying to make an effort. "…Hi. I'm Evie." I said.

He blinked. "I'm Laddie. Star said you'd be coming."

"Oh, well… here I am." I said, uncomfortably. The boy seemed nice, but his conversation skills were rigid. "Is Star, um, are you related to her?"

Laddie shook his head, his stringy hair whipping back and forth across his thin face. "No, but I wish she was my mother."

"How sweet." I smiled. A loud crash sent a shock though my spine and I jumped.

The pirate had tackled Marko and sent him flying across the cave, crashing into a wall. The impact caused several large rocks to tumble and fall on top of Marko, leaving him trapped under a pile of rubble.

I gasped, waiting for someone to rush forward and assist their friend. But not a soul moved. In fact, they all seemed to shrug it off and resume their previous engagements. My draw fell open, in disbelief.

"What the hell?" I heard myself shriek. "Are you really just ignoring this?!" They all just glanced up at me and stared, their eyes glazed over in indifference. Even Star didn't seem to care, as she pulled her shawl off her shoulders and sat down. "You people are just- just _unbelievable_! He could be hurt!" Absolutely horrified, I scrambled over to the rock heap crushing the Cheshire Cat blonde. As I knelt to remove the debris, a pale hand shot up through the mass, causing me to squeak in terror.

Marko's head suddenly emerged from the rocks first, bits of dust and pebbles clung to his curls. A small moan escaped his throat and he rubbed the back of his head, when he glanced up at me, clearly surprised to see me kneeling there. His infamous grin stretched wide and I was immediately overcome with confusion. "Hey." he said casually.

"_Hey_? Is that all? You could've gotten a concussion or worse, and all you have to say about it is '_Hey_?" I cried in disbelief. "My GOD!"

"Calm down, Evie," I heard David call from behind us. "He's fine. Don't be so shrill."

"SHRILL? I'M NOT-" and then I stopped myself, suddenly realizing he was right. There wasn't a scratch anywhere on Marko. "…Right… sorry."

"Wow, Evie." Dinah exclaimed. "You looked like you were going to have an aneurysm!"

I glared at her. "Do you even know what an aneurysm _is_?"

"…No." she admitted. "I just heard you use it once." The boys laughed in unison, and she blushed. Dinah wasn't one to take much attention well.

Marko had lifted himself up and brushed off the dust from his ridiculously colorful jacket. "You smell like sugar cookies." he said, completely out of the blue.

I blinked. "I- uh, _what_?" Was that a compliment, or was he just being stupid?

"You heard me. Sugar cookies. You smell _delicious_." A sudden glint in his eyes gave a look of feral hunger that would terrify most people. But I had seen too much in my lifetime to be afraid.

A tiny bit of color rose to my cheeks. Yeah, he was definitely hitting on me. I was _so_ not used to that. "Could you be any more random?" I said, trying to appear unnaffected, but he grinned anyways.

I ducked my head and walked back over to Laddie, who was sitting now by Star. I sighed and plopped down beside them. "It's getting really early." Star said. "Time for bed Laddie." He nodded, and silently obeyed her. Star turned to me and Dinah. "If you follow me, I'll show you where you'll sleep."

Hours later, I laid underneath the billowy canopy of the bed, restless, and unmoving. Dinah though, had fallen asleep almost instantly, and I envied that in her. It was still dark out, but barely, and I believed the others had gone to bed as well. It was then that I became aware of how thirsty I was, and I knew the issue had to be redressed immediately. Pulling myself out of bed I walked out into the open are of the cave to locate the groceries Dinah and I had purchased earlier, and retrieve a water bottle.

I discovered them lying near an oil drum, still ignited. I took one out from the plastic bag and proceeded to take large gulps until I no longer needed hydration. I screwed the lid back on and stood still for a moment. I could hear the sea violently colliding with the base of the cliff, creating a rushing sound that was intensely soothing. And then I thought of Eli.

Oh, Christ, my baby! My heart ached so strongly for him that my legs would no longer support me, and I slumped to the dirty stone floor. I pulled my knees to my chest and hugged them, my lower lip trembled uncontrollably, and a stifled sob choked from my throat. Finally, I had time to grieve.

Long after the sun came up, and I had my fill of tears, I slunk into bed and slept like a dead man until once again, the cover of night swept over Santa Carla and awakened us all.

Loud calls and wild crashes roused me from my blood filled nightmares. I stretched my legs and sat up. Star and Dinah were already out of bed, and the boys were up and running. I ran my fingers through my thick hair and rolled off the mattress.

"Hey there sunshine!" Dinah chirped, and giggled when I returned the greeting with a cranky scowl and shook my head.

I felt eyes boring holes into my skull and I looked up to find both Star and David staring at me. I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

David spoke first. "You're going to run out of clothes." he said.

"That's not a problem…" I heard Paul call out flirtatiously. Dwayne and Marko snickered at this, but David ignored them.

"Star's going to go out to find spare clothes for the two of you." he said, gesturing to Dinah and myself.

Star nodded. "I'll need to know your sizes and personal preferences before I go." She walked over and checked my tags.

I heard give a short sigh. "What is it?" I asked. She replied that she was jealous of what she claimed was my impossibly perfect waist, and she'd have to fatten me up.

At this, the boys immediately gave a chorus of groans, apparently opposed to this idea, and I blushed deeply. Just because Star was a whale didn't mean that I had to be too.

Soon after they departed, leaving me alone with the children for a considerably long number of hours before they returned. I sat out on a ledge overlooking the ocean while I watched Dinah play with Laddie. The poor boys seemed really uncomfortable, like he never had a playmate before, and didn't know what to do with one. Dinah eventually got through to him and they played long games of hide and seek and tag. The purr of engines from above informed me of the boy's arrival.

I waited for them to come clambering through the entrance, and was mildly surprised to see only Star appear. In her arms she held several shopping bags from a variety of stores. After helping her put them in a safe place, she pulled out a small cardboard box and a pair of scissors.

"If you're ever going to go out in public," she said "You'll need to change your appearance quite drastically. We'll start with you hair."

I eyed the box suspiciously. "What's that, then?"

"Hair dye." she said plainly.

My stomach dropped. Dye my hair? My only physical attribute that I liked? No. Fucking. Way. "What color?"

She didn't answer. "Star," I tried again. "_What color??_"

A/N And on that note, I end this chapter. Lots of suspense in this one, I must say, what with our current awareness of the Blackmoore's killer. By the way, if you have an opinion of what color and style Evie's hair should be, let me know. It's already kind of short, say, shoulder length, just as a recap. Ok, love you all! Please review!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay I want to apologize immensely for making you all wait so long. I haad PSATs, essays, and two projects for the longest time, and was a huge distraction. And so I'm making this update a bit longer, just for you guys! Thanks so much for your patience and of course, your reviews!**

**Patriotgirl101: Yep. Church is a serious badass. I admire that in him ^.^**

**Queenbrooklyn67: Oh I'm sorry if I confused you. See, the boys DO like that Evie is skinny, and they are booing because they DON'T want Star to fatten her up. We clear now? Thanks for reviewing!**

**Sarah: You dork, it's not like Evie has a choice over what Star picked out. She's gonna have to go along with it whether she likes it or not. ^.^**

**Dieinsilencex: Of COURSE you would suggest black. Haha, I normally would pick that color, but I don't think it would look good on her. thanks for your input though!**

**And of course, Lordofthebreakdance: Haha, good one! And I'm really glad you enjoyed it! I hope you feel the same about this one!**

It took very ounce of will power to keep myself from vomiting throughout my little makeover. With every snip of the scissors I visibly flinched, Star would scold me and then she'd continue to cut. An unbearably long two hours passed before Star held up the mirror to my face.

_Blonde._ Short, honey-blonde hair. I could've cried then and there. And then I could've throttled Star! I ran a trembling hand through, feeling bald without my normal long locks.

"Star," I breathed in fury "I am seriously considering killing you right now."

Star sensed my distress and placed a hand on my shoulder soothingly. "The boys will love it." she smiled reassuringly.

I scoffed. "Oh, I'm sorry, was that supposed to make me feel better?" The hell did I care what they thought? I glanced back at the mirror. The cut was well done, I had to admit. I actually found the short, choppy layers rather cute, and Star commented that they complimented my face.

My vanity overwhelmed me and I slumped back, tired and frustrated. Laddie and Dinah attempted to cheer me up with sweet compliments and silly jokes that would only makes sense to a child. Their futile efforts were interrupted by the returns of the boys, cheering and running a bit more than usual.

I raised my vision to Star. "Why are they being so spastic?" I inquired. The look she gave me was one of total despondency, and she swallowed, a sign of anxiety. What the hell was wrong with her? If anyone should be upset right now, it was me and my crap hair.

"HEY EEVEE!!" I heard David call out to me. "C'MERE SWEETHEART!"

I stood to comply with their request, but I then hesitated, remembering my new "look." I silently begged that they wouldn't tease me and forcibly dragged myself away from my hiding spot.

Paul was first to react. "Whoa, who is that?" he laughed. The others responded similarly with cat calls and whistles.

"Damn Eve, you look completely different." Dwayne laughed. "Are we sure it's her?"

I gave an embarrassed half-smile and tried to fold into myself, wishing I could disappear, when I felt a presence behind me. I turned to find Marko leaning in close to me his eyes half closed and a pleasant expression etched into his face. He inhaled slowly and deeply.

"Sugar cookies." he said dreamily. "It's her." His gorgeous grin immediately appeared when my face turn pink. I have _got_ to stop blushing.

"Oh my God…" I mumbled and looked away. Eager to change the subject I inquired as to why I was summoned by David, and David responded thusly.

"Because Sweetheart, we've made a new friend." David smiled deviously and gestured to a tall, dark haired young man standing idly by the pirate. "Evie, Michael, Michael, Evie."

Michael nodded a greeting. "Hey." he said. "David told me about you."

Ah revelation. "Ooh, you're Sam's brother, then." I said, feeling very informed when Michael's expression turned became confused.

"You know Sam?" he asked, a bit bewildered.

I shrugged indifferently. "Well, I just met him really. Decent boy, I must say." I would've mentioned my acquaintance with his mother too, but I didn't want to come off as a stalker, so I held my tongue.

Michael turned out to be an alright guy. He certainly wasn't as wild (or annoying) as the

others, much to my delight, but he seemed fairly comfortable around them, especially with Star. Apparently he had been with the boys before I had, but only a few days before. Hours crept by, as I refused to take part in their drunken activities, and instead spent time with Star.

"Alright then, favorite color." Star giggled and pulled the blankets up higher on her lap.

"Definitely purple. Like a dark purple, not lilac or anything." I smiled. "What's your favorite food?"

"Chocolate chip cookies." she replied dreamily. "I love chocolate."

I jumped as a low seductive voice suddenly spoke from behind me. "Want to know what _my_ favorite cookie is?" Marko purred in my ear.

I scowled, although it was in good humour...somewhat... How did he just pop up beside me without sound or motion? Was he a ninja? A ghost? God, he was getting more and more mysterious by the second. I had to admit it though, it was really sexy on him.

"Get out of here, Marko." Star laughed and chucked a thick pillow at his curly head. He dodged the projectile gracefully and slunk away, laughing to himself in satisfaction. Star shook her head in disgust. "He can't take a hint, can he?"

That morning at the police office, Victor fidgeted in his seat and glanced anxiously at Suzy. Her head was turned down and her shoulders slumped wearily, a state she had been in for hours now, without food or sleep. His thoughts turned to Church, who he heard had been fighting earlier. When he had asked to see him, he was told that Church was currently unavailable. He looked back at Suzy once more. She hadn't spoken a word, which made Vic a bit panicky, but he knew the reason why.

"He loved us." He said bluntly. "Eli pretended to hate everyone, but he certainly loved us." When she still didn't speak, he continued. "I know I'm only nine, and I have no real idea of what romance is, but he really loved you too."

A direct hit. Suzy shifted her head up a fraction but said nothing. A minor response, but a response nonetheless. Facing forward, her light hand reached for his dark one, and intertwined their fingers. They sat like this for a solid twenty minutes until Suzy abruptly announced stood. Releasing Victor's hand she hopped off their seat, walked up to a door labeled Department of Social Services and rapped on the glass.

The door opened seconds later and Ms. Helms appeared. She smiled sincerely at Suzy. "Can I help you Susanne?"

Suzy frowned. "First off, Barbie doll, it's _Suzy_. And second, we want Church." she jerked her head at Vic, who waved.

The young woman shook her head. "I can't do that Susanne, he's been put away."

Suzy smiled, all teeth showing, but there was a dangerous glint in her eye that caused Ms. Helms to retreat an inch backward. "Do you honestly think," Suzy said in a falsely cheery voice. "that just because you're an adult that I'll just go along with everything you say?"

Ms. Helms tried to appear stern. "As an adult and your current caretaker, I have the right to-"

"Last time I checked, stealing our home, murdering our friend, and kidnapping us doesn't make you the boss." Suzy's smile curled into a sneer. "And you have the audacity to keep us from our brother?"

The woman looked shaken. "But I- I didn't do any of those things! I wasn't even there!"

"Guilty by association." Victor cut in. "I suggest you take us to Church or believe me Lady, we're gonna raise hell about it."

Ms. Helms opened her mouth, then snapped it shut and nodded, admitting her defeat. She met with the children's demands and escorted them to Church, who was currently held in

a small, padded room known as solitary confinement.

"_I have to get out of here_." Was the first thought to stream through my head when I awoke.

I sat up, feeling cramped and boxed up, dying to stretch my legs when Dinah yawned. She must have kicked or muscled her way in because I was inches from the edge. I shook my head sleepily and crept out of the bed and started to get dressed. From the supply of clothes Star had purchased earlier, I chose a pair of jeans, a deep purple t-shirt and a gray jacket.

The soft gray light of early morning unexpectedly brightened my attitude when climbed out of the cave and stepped out into the open air. It was cool and fresh, perfect for walking around. I looked back at the cave entrance. If everyone stayed asleep until nightfall, I wouldn't be missed. What they don't know won't hurt them.

It took nearly an hour on foot to arrive in town and by then I had only worked up a slight sweat, since the heat of the sun hadn't kicked in just yet. As usual, everybody and his brother were out and about, running errands, shopping or just playing around. My breathing became shallow with anxiety, freaked that someone might recognize me. "No," I told myself, "With this hair, Mom wouldn't even recognize me." I walked on casually, concealing the doubt I still had inside me.

I hadn't intended to eat anything, but my stomach screamed in protest. I chewed on my lip. No one would recognize me with this stupid new hair, but I really didn't want to take that risk just yet.

Instead of my usual smoothie purchase, I ran by a small bakery and got some coffee and a pastry. I sat out by the pier and munched on my sugar loaded breakfast when I felt a soft nudge on my foot. I glanced down, only to find a very beautiful husky seated at my feet, staring up at me with sad, begging eyes.

I smirked. "No honey, you can't eat this." The dog pawed at my leg and whined until I nearly gave in. He was just so pathetic looking.

"Nanook!" the husky turned his head toward the source of the sound. I looked up as well and saw a familiar boy running towards us. Sam. "There you are boy," he spoke when he finally slowed down, his breath ragged. "I'm sorry if he bothered you-"

My impulsive response was to greet him, but upon realizing that he might not recognize me, or worse, had watched the news lately and would report to the authorities, I chose otherwise. "Oh no, it's fine." I mumbled evasively, trying to cover my face.

Sam's eyes narrowed. "Wait… Evie? Is that… _did you dye your hair_?" he exclaimed, absolutely incredulous, and reached out to me.

I recoiled from his touch. "Please don't, it's bad enough!" I mentally slapped myself. Great. Now he definitely knew it was me.

He shook his head. "I almost couldn't tell it was you. Your hair was really nice before, why did you-" He paused, sighed, and ran his fingers through his spiky hair. "Evie… what the hell is going on?"

That was blunt. I bit my lip as the same question ran through my head over and over. Could I trust Sam Emerson? Could I trust him to keep his mouth shut? Even better question: Was I willing to risk it?

"I'm running, Sam." I said bitterly. "And I think I always will be." I couldn't bring myself to look at him while I waited for a reply.

A few moments of silence passed and Sam placed himself beside me. His next words were flat and serious. "Tell me."

And then I launched off into my self-history. "At age four," I began, "My parents gave me a violin for my birthday. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Even more beautiful was the sound it made." I looked up and smiled at the memory. Sam signaled for me to continue.

"Anyway, we lived in this huge, hundred-year-old house in Louisiana. My father was a detective of some kind. He never really did tell me his exact profession, though. My mother on the other hand, stayed at home and home schooled me up until I was fourteen…" I trailed off, the next memory too traumatizing to put into words.

Sam waited. "Go on, Evie. I want to help you." Nanook whined in agreement and nudged my knee with his black nose.

"…Someone killed them Sam. Right in front of me." I choked. "I watched my father bleed to death on the floor, and I watched a bullet go through my mother's head." I paused and looked directly into Sam's eyes for the first time, smiling grimly. "But without the death of my first family, I would never have gained a second."

And that was it. I told him how I had run away and ended up in Santa Carla, how I met Church and the others, and how we'd lived in secret for three years. I finished with the cop's surprise ambush and my narrow escape. The only thing I _didn't_ mention, was Dinah.

"So… where are you living now?" Sam asked suddenly. "It's not like you can go back to the asylum, or anything."

"Oh, here and there…" I lied through my teeth. I felt somehow that the boys wouldn't appreciate my revealing of their own home. I know I didn't when the cops showed up at mine. "I can't stay put for long."

"Another question. How do you get food?"

"I steal, mostly." I shrugged apologetically when he gave a disapproving frown. "Well, it's not like I have any money."

Another moment of silence passed when Sam stood and waved. "My mom wants me." he explained. "Look, why don't you come over for dinner tonight?"

I blinked. "Dinner?"

"Yeah dinner. You know, the third meal of the day?" he grinned and hooked a leash up to Nanook.

"I _know_ what dinner is, smartass." I scowled. "I dunno if that's such a great idea, though. What if your mom recognizes me? You did, and right off too."

Sam shrugged. "We don't have a T.V. at my grandpa's house, so she'd be clueless. And I only realized who you were because you're so pretty."

I snorted in a very unladylike manner. "Spare me." Then I sighed. "Alright. When do you want me?"

Sam pondered for a moment before suggesting eight o'clock. Apparently his family ate rather late. Lucy called for him once again and he muttered a quick farewell, and hauled Nanook away.

After watching Sam, his dog and his mother disappear down the street, I immediately left the pier and sojourned back to the cave. Upon entering the cave I realized two things. One, I never saw the boys up during the day. Ever. And two, how the hell was I going to get away from them tonight, and sneak away to Sam's house?

A/N Alrighty then hope you enjoyed this! But seriously, if you have in ideas how to sneak away from the boys when they take her out of the cave tonight, let me know! I have my own idea, but I like to hear what you guys think1 Leave a review please!


	8. Chapter 8

**For Sarah and Valerie, see if you can spot the hidden IDEK quote.**

**Queenbrooklym67:** Yeah, Sam is a good kid, and I've always thought Nanook was gorgeous too!

**TheLonelyWinterQueen:** Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it! And Marko is definitely my favorite too! Along with Edgar, cuz he makes me laugh.

**Lordofthebreakdance:** haha well, I think with her original appearance, blond would look more natural.

**ThexHushxSound:** I'm sorry I've provoked you sugar cookie cravings! But I wanted Marko's flirting to be reeeally sexy.

**DieInSilenceX**: Well, if you read this chappy, she might not _have_ to sneak. Anywho, see you this weekend!

**And the Whale-err, I mean Sarah:** I'm not a hundred percent sure if she'll date him, but I think there's a strong possibility.

I was only half asleep when I suddenly became aware that a pillow had just hit me square in the face. Eyes sealed shut, I groaned in protest and yanked the covers over my head. I heard the sniveling laughter of Dwayne and the Pirate at one end of the bed.

"Get up, Evie." David's icy voice sang, and with a swift tug, the covers I had firmly tucked into the bed flew off. I shivered, and curled myself into a ball. "Don't be stubborn." David pretended to scold. "Unless you want Marko to help you get dressed-"

That was all the incentive I needed. I wrenched open my eyes and gave David the most intensely furious glare in the existence of man. "Oh don't even _joke_ like that." I spat venomously.

He smirked. "Who's joking?" My glare did not fade, and he turned to leave, so as to provide me with privacy. Dwayne and Paul followed suit.

I promptly dressed myself in a white, form-fitting long sleeve shirt and a dark pair of jeans. Over my shirt I threw a leaf green t-shirt and topped it all off with squeaky new converse and a leather band around my right wrist. I had only just finished tying the band together when Dinah suddenly ambushed me from behind.

"Evie! We finally get to go out! I'm so glad, I was really starting to get sick of this place!" She cried in joy as she wrapped her small arms around my neck. "Star said she'd take us to the rides and everything!"

I smiled. "That's great, Di! What are you going to ride on first? The carousel, perhaps?"

But before she could answer, David's chilling voice beckoned us once again, and we soon walked up and out of the cave. The boys were waiting as we climbed out. They leaned coolly against their motorcycles, although I could see in their eyes that the were jittery with excitement, ready to ride off.

Once everyone had appeared, the boys climbed into their seats. Star apparently rode with David, Laddie with Paul, and poor Dinah with the Pirate. Which meant that I had to ride with…

Cheshire cat grin, all teeth showing. "Hop on Evie." Marko purred. Damn it…

I scowled and glanced up a the star littered sky. "_Seriously_?" I hissed at God. "What are you _doing_ up there?! What is this?? What is this??" A punishment perhaps? Karma? I suppressed a sigh and gave in. If I wanted to get out of here, I'd just have to put up with it until other methods of transportation presented themselves.

I had seated myself I had placed my hands on Marko's shoulder. I tried to protest when he removed them and wrapped them around his waist, but I realized he wasn't trying to be a perv, and it would make it easier for him to maneuver the motorcycle that way. They drove like maniacs when we left, although it didn't surprise me much. I was mostly worried about how Dinah was taking this.

After several long minutes of violent driving, they pulled up into the streets of Santa Carla. They moved fluidly through the pulsing stream of people and eventually came to a stop.

I released Marko and climbed off, ignoring the satisfied smirk stretched across his evil little face. I looked for Star. She also had descended from David's own bike and proceeded to help Laddie off of Paul's. I did the same for Dinah who seemed unfazed by the journey, and had apparently been chatting Dwayne's ear off the whole way.

To my surprise, their engines roared up again. "Where're ya goin'?" I inquired.

David looked up. "We're going to grab a bite. You crazy kids go have fun." He said in a silky voice. His smile showed me there were secrets in his words, and it would be wise to stay away.

I suppressed a relieved smile. Excellent. Now the only person I had to get away from was Star. I could probably give her some vague hint of the truth and we'd be A-okay.

Once they had had disappeared from sight, I turned to Star. "It's about 7:00 now, right?" She nodded. "Hey, Star… do you mind if I disappear for an hour or so?"

She turned and raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows. "Why, where are you going?"

I almost hesitated to tell her. "I've got an appointment of sorts with Michael's little brother."

"Oh… OH! Okay, sure. I'll keep the kids busy. You go on." She gave a shooing gesture and with a whoosh of her gypsy skirt she ushered Dinah and Laddie off to the rides.

Easy enough. I made my way to Sam's house, which was easy enough to find. Their home was nice and open, a lovely refuge from the ugliness of the city. I walked up to the front door and rang the bell.

It was answered by Sam himself. A crooked smile brightened his face. "Hey, Evie. Come in."

I had only taken one step inside when a man's voice called out from a room farther back in the house. "WHO'S HERE SAMMY?"

"Our dinner guest, Grandpa!" Sam called back. "I'm bringing her upstairs until dinner!"

Sam led me upstairs and into his room, where we sat comfortably on the floor and conversed.

"So, " I said "have you talked to Edgar and Alan at all?" He nodded. "Have you ever noticed how deadpan they are? Like everything they say is absolutely hilarious but they don't seem to realize it?"

Sam laughed. "I know right? They're just so…"

"Awkward?" I added helpfully.

"I was going to say socially inept, but lets go with that." Sam grinned.

"Socially inept, right…Are they still going on about vampires too?" I asked.

Sam rolled his eyes dramatically. "Every time I see them." he sighed. "They really need a new hobby."

"If they go on with this vampire crap, they're gonna virgins forever." I said matter-of-factly.

Sam's laugh came out like an explosion. I watched in amusement as he clutched his sides and laughed uncontrollably. "I never- _haha_- thought of that-_ hahaha_!"

I shook my head and grinned. "It wasn't _that_ funny, Sam." But he continued to giggle. After a moment I told him I'd met Michael and asked him where he was.

Sam shrugged. "Michael disappears a lot at night. He's been coming home really late and sleeping all day, and his attitude is going downhill."

"Will he be okay?" I asked concerned, although I really knew the answer.

"Yeah sure, unless he gets hit by a bus. Or until school starts." he mused.

Nanook came bounding into the room excitedly. I smiled as he approached us and nuzzled my hand as I reached out to pet his thick fur. "I used to have a pet when I lived in the asylum." I said and scratched Nanook's chin. "A cat named Thursday."

Sam scoffed. "Thursday? Why'd you name one after a day of the week?"

"Thursdays my mother and I used to go out and walk in the park." I smiled at the memory. "And I met the first two members of my runaway family on a Thursday."

"What do you think happened to them when you left?" he asked.

"Y'know, they're probably still out there." I looked at Sam. "They were never around much, except to eat or sleep…" I paused Nanook's grooming and dropped my hand. "Sam… after dinner I want you to come with me."

Sam looked puzzled. "Where? You don't mean…"

Oh but I did mean. Back to the asylum. "Think about it." I turned to the spiky haired boy excitedly. "I've been gone for days. By now they're aware that I know they're on to me. The last place they'd expect to find me is my own home!"

Sam fidgeted in his spot, his eyes uncertain. "Well, I did run by the place and there's virtually nobody there anymore…"

I jumped up, startling the dog who then shuffled away from me. "Perfect! What are we waiting for?"

"Uh, dinner?" he replied sarcastically.

As if God himself heard us, a woman's voice called from downstairs, beckoning us to come and eat. Sam and I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to find Lucy hovering over the table, setting out plates and silverware.

She looked up and smiled sweetly. "Are you our guest this evening?" I nodded politely and her smile grew. "I'm sorry but Sam hasn't told me your name yet."

Oh thank Jesus! She didn't recognize me. "Rosie." I answered with my middle name automatically. Well, it was just Rose really, but my mother sometimes called me Rosie, and I was somewhat accustomed to answering to that name.

She seemed pleased with my answer and gestures toward the table. "Take a seat Rosie, I hope you like Italian."

We ate and chatted for a good hour during the meal of salad and pasta. Sam's grandpa joined us and ate as well later on. After plates were cleared and the food was put away, I thanked Lucy graciously for the meal.

"It was absolutely fabulous, Mrs. Emerson!" I exclaimed. "I haven't eaten this well in the longest time."

A pleased smile stretched across her face. "Why thank you Rosie, I'm do glad you enjoyed it."

I retuned the smile as Sam carefully asked his mother for permission to leave the house for a little while. Much to our delight she agreed, but on the single condition that we both wear jackets, as it was a bit chilly that night. Sam complied with her demand and lent me a large, dark gray hoodie as he pulled on his own coat.

"Don't get into any trouble!" Lucy called as we walked out into the foyer.

We exchanged looks, answered with a "Yes ma'am." and walked outside into the cool Santa Carla air.

X x X x

(still that morning)

Church greeted Suzy and Vic with an simple grunt of acknowledgement as they entered his small cell.

Suzy looked flustered. "Church why are you even in here?" she cried. Church pressed his mouth into a thin line and glared at Ms. Helms lingering at the door. Suzy followed Church's gaze to the woman. "Uh, do you _mind?" _she snapped at the blonde social service worker.

Ms. Helms flushed and muttered an apology. She stepped away from the door and left the children to their privacy.

"Right," Vic continued "Where were we?"

Church finally spoke. "I think Evie's in trouble." he said gravely.

Victor and Suzy straightened, widely alert now. "Trouble? How? Why?" Victor growled defensively.

"This." From his pocket the teen produced a gold locket on a thin chain and held it up to the children's faces. "Open it and tell me who it is." he commanded.

Suzy gently received the necklace and pried open the locket. Inside was a picture a dark haired couple, embracing a young, red headed girl. "Oh. My. God." Suzy's head snapped up. "Church? Where the hell did you get this?"

Church was grim. "When I grabbed this agent by the throat, I kind of reached into his jacket and stole it. Look at the engraving on the other side."

In fine, swooping, letters lay _To my dearest love,_ and the initials _C.B._ Victor's dark brow furrowed. Wait, Caroline Blackmoore? Evie's mom? Didn't Evie say the murderer stole the locket from her after he killed her mom?"

Church nodded. "The man _I _stole it from, he's _got_ to be the killer! Worse, he knows that Evie will recognize him, and he might go after her."

"Find and kill her before the cops get to her?" Vic gasped in horror.

"The HELL HE WILL!" Suzy growled. "That's it! We need a plan to get out now!"

"Pipe down, iron lung!" Church hissed. "Look I'll come up with something. In the meantime, look for an agent here named Bishop. I heard that he's in a visiting office in the west wing, room 408. Find out everything you can on him, okay?"

The two nodded in assent. "Okay."

That very second, Ms. Helms stuck her blond head through the door and requested for the two youngest to depart. She had expected to see outrage in their reaction, but much to her surprise the two obediently trailed out of the room before saying their goodbyes to Church.

As Ms. Helms led the children away, Suzy abruptly asked permission to use the computer on her office desk. Ms. Helms looked at her curiously. "Whatever for?" she asked.

"I 'm bored and I want to play a game." the little girl replied. "There's nothing else to do besides sit around wait."

Ms. Helms agreed to it, completely unaware of Suzy's true intentions. She brought the two runaways back into her office and signed onto her account. "Just play the games like pinball or solitaire." She lifted her finger up to a group of desk icons. "But those are for work. Don't use them."

"Yes ma'am." Vic replied sweetly, and flashed her a pearly smile.

Ms. Helms took their word. "Alright. I'm going to one of the interrogation rooms to speak with someone, so you two stay here. Can I trust you both with that?"

As soon as the door shut behind her, Suzy went into action. "Alright Vic, lets roll." The girl pulled out into the hallway and checked the area. "She's gone, come on."

Victor hovered behind her. "Are you sure we can do this? Find room 408?" he bit his lip uncertainly.

"Of course." she replied. "It's a legitimate strategy."

After a few long minutes of searching, they discovered room 408 in a corner office. The simple wood door was slightly worn, but as Evie would always tell them, "It's not old, it just has more character."

Victor knocked, only to receive no answer. He looked at Suzy. "We're going in anyway, aren't we?"

"Yup." she agreed, and reached for the handle.

The office was dark and cluttered, stray papers thrown askew. Suzy didn't even have to order Victor around, as he went straight for the large oak desk centered in front of the two large windows.

He shuffled through the myriad of papers as Suzy searched meticulously for any sort of clue. She discovered a file folder balanced atop a lamp shade on a side table against the left wall.

She picked it up and opened to the first paper. Inside were criminal records of dozen of different men. They were all major drug lords, Suzy realized as she read on, that had all been tossed into prison years ago by Officer Henry Bishop and Detective Charles Blackmoore, Evie's father.

But one particular sentence caught her attention. The drugs confiscated by police were stolen a day later. The culprit was never found, and the drugs were never seen again. The details went on the reveal the possibility that a cop might have been involved with the theft, and both Bishop and Det. Blackmoore were questioned, but found innocent.

A small gasp was heard from behind her and she turned to Victor. "What?"

The dark skinned boy swallowed. "I think I found out where Bishop is. And it's _not_ good."

A/N Hope you enjoyed it! Again it takes me a while to get this written because of school, but at least I've got it up, right? The next update will have Evie and Sam going back to the asylum to find her cat, and some pretty dangerous shit will happen. Anyway please review!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Patriotgirl101:** Oh David you little scamp! Ha ha, I'm glad you liked it!

**TheLonelyWinterQueen:** Yep. The whole virgin thing was inspired by this clip of the sequel I watched, and Edgar is just so… lets just say he needs to get laid. Badly. Thanks for your review.

**DieInSilenceX:** Gotta love Destry!!

**Msaju17:** Hey, hey! New reviewer! I'm really glad you liked it! Hope you enjoy this too!

**Lordofthebreakdance:** Sorry if I confused you. I hope this update clears it up!

**Queenbrooklyn67:** Well something might happen, but it depends on what you mean by "something". Enjoy!

I held my breath as Sam and I lingered at the street corner, surveying the area with caution. The air was cool and dry, surprising for the normal Santa Carla climate. I gave silent thanks to see there was an absence of policemen or traces of them of any kind, save for the yellow crime scene tape stretched around the perimeter. I then saw our chance.

"Sam, now." I breathed. In moments we had darted stealthily from our corner across to the asylum.

I led Sam around to the far left side of the building, where I unveiled a rusty escape ladder clinging precariously to the brick wall.

Sam gave me a wary look. "Are you sure if this even safe?" he queried.

"No." I shrugged and began to ascend the ladder. Sam then followed suit.

One we were on the roof, I immediately located the trap door, which was covered by scattered leaves and branches, seeing how it was almost never used. Once that ordeal had been dealt with, we found ourselves in the dark, hollowed and moaning halls of my old home. I paused and took it all in.

"Oh, home," I said pleasantly. "How I've missed you." I turned suddenly to Sam. "If I know my cat, he's where the food is."

"And where's that, dare I ask?" Sam mused dryly.

"The kitchen of course. His bowl is in there, and I always fill his bowl to last a few days." I replied. "To the kitchen, Robin!"

Eventually we found the kitchen and began rummaging through it.

"All the food is gone." I mumbled. "Even the cat's food. I swear, cops suck."

Sam laughed. "So I'm guessing the cat isn't here then?"

"No." I growled. "Guess we cam here for nothi-" I paused mid-sentence. "Hey… maybe they haven't taken _everything_ just yet."

He raised an eyebrow. "What are you thinking, Evie?"

"Lets go in _my_ room." I said. "There's some things I want back."

I then dragged poor Sam back down to my room. I flung open the doors and cried out in joy. Everything was untouched! Even my bed sheets hadn't been moved since I'd left them the few days before. I ran over to the beside drawer and opened the cabinet door. I began rummaging though it when I heard Sam's voice from behind me.

"You're parents were good looking people." He said nonchalantly. "I can see where you got your face from."

I turned and saw him hovering over a poorly framed picture of my parents and me. I stood up and walked over beside him. I cocked my head and scrutinized the picture. "Yeah," I murmured softly. "I guess they were good looking." I shook myself out of the daze and cleared my throat. "Err, right, I'm gonna take that too."

I pocketed the picture and returned to my drawer. I pulled out a few more pictures and trinkets and dumped the contents into a small black bag. I suddenly thought of Dinah and decided to grab her favorite teddy bear to surprise her.

"You want to see the rest of the asylum?" I queried.

"Sam shrugged. "Sure. We've got some time left, lets do it!"

We began to run mindlessly down the hallways when I suddenly skidded to a halt, and Sam almost tumbled into me as he tried to stop. "What is it?" he whispered.

I narrowed my eyes. "...Do you hear that?" Before he could answer I clapped my hand over his mouth and jerked him into a side hall. I held a finger to my lips and released my grip on him. "Someone is here." I hissed through my teeth. "I saw him back there."

Sam's eyes widened. "We need to get out of here then!" he whispered.

"Agreed. Here's what we'll do..." I peeked around the corner. "We're going to split up. You go back down that hall, take a left at the first corner and keep going until you run into two big wooden doors marked 'Auditorium'. As quietly as possible, get inside, go out through the nearest exit and run home." I ordered.

Sam raised a brow. "Wait, but what about you?"

"_I_ know this place like the back of my hand. I'm going to make sure this guy doesn't catch you as you escape. When you're gone, I'll make my way out too." Sam tried to protest, but I hushed him at the sound of footsteps. "Don't argue just go!"

He made one last hesitant grimace before he gave up and stepped cautiously and stealthily down the long hall and disappeared. I licked my lips. Time for a distraction. I slipped off my shoes and placed them in the bag. With my back against the wall, I edged along, feeling for a doorknob.

I turned the knob, opened the door several inches and slammed it shut. Go! My instincts screamed at me. I fled, quick as lightning down the hall and turned the right corner. The sound of my bare feet against the linoleum was unheard, as they were silenced by the sound of rubber soled shoes slamming against the floor. This hall was especially long, though there was a small stair case leading downward, and I pushed myself to run faster.

The footsteps of the stranger became more rapid and they were getting closer and closer. Just as I reached the stairs a loud bang split the air and the most painful shock I could imagine bit into my shoulder. Pain erupted throughout my arm and shoulder and I stumbled on the first step. I cried out as my ankle twisted from under me and I fell headfirst down the flight of stairs. I groaned miserably in pain as I clutched my shoulder. I felt warm, slick blood ooze through my fingers.

"What the hell?" I muttered, my eyes began to tear up from the pain.

"After all these years…" I heard someone mutter.

I glanced up at my attacker. My. Heart. Stopped. "No…" I breathed.

A feral smile crossed his face. "Oh yes." said Agent Henry Bishop.

For a second the pain disappeared and was replaced with years of fury and grief, and I screamed at him in rage. "YOU KILLED THEM! IT WAS YOU, YOU SONOVABITCH!!"

"Nothing personal sweetheart, but your daddy was a threat." he replied casually. Bishop glanced down at my pitifully confused condition. "Back when your daddy and I pulled some drug busts back in the day, we uh… rewarded ourselves with some of the goods."

"Wh-what?" I gasped out. My arm was on fire. "You stole the drugs? My _father_?"

"Oh yes. I admit, we got a little greedy, but at the last minute, daddy dearest suddenly developed a conscience and wanted to turn us in." He lowered his lip into a mock pout. "I I could have that, could I?"

"And what the hell did you shoot me for?" I growled and jerked my head at my severely bleeding shoulder.

He ran his fingers through his dark hair and sighed. "Well my dear, it's really that you know my face. Your dear friend Church let slip that you'd recognize me anywhere, … well, you get the picture."

I shook my head wildly. "No!" I croaked pathetically. "I really don't!"

My brain couldn't function anymore. I couldn't believe that. I _wouldn't_ believe it. My dad, the figure of honesty and loyalty… it had to be a lie. "I don't believe you." I breathed.

"I needed to get to you before the cops did." Bishop shrugged nonchalantly an cocked the gun. "Nevertheless, I need to kill you."

I held my breath and snapped my eyes shut, and waited. And waited. And wait- _CRACK!_ I flinched. What the hell was that noise? Then the sound of choking reached my ears, and I forced myself to wrench open an eye.

"Oh my god…" was all I could manage to choke out.

Agent Bishop hovered over me for half a second, his arms hanging limply at his sides. But something was wrong with his face, it was frozen in what looked like shock. Was he… unconscious? And then to my horror his eyes rolled back into his head and he began to fall forward.

"Not so fast." an icy voice sang, and suddenly Bishop's collapsing body was flung violently sideways.

"David!" I smiled weakly. All the boys, in fact were lingered around us, eyeing Bishop furiously. I clutched my shoulder and tried to sit up, but David snapped at me in protest. "Uh-uh, Evie, you stay still." He knelt beside me and sighed irritably.

"I don't think there's a bullet in me." I said, my breath becoming shallow from the blood loss. "The bastard just grazed me."

"Marko, give me your shirt. We need a bandage." David commanded.

Marko peeled off his already ripped shirt and tossed it to the violent blond, who tore the cloth in two as if it were a simple piece of paper. He then ripped the sleeves of my own shirt to get to the wound.

"What are you going to do with him?" I asked, referring to Bishop. "Will you hurt him?"

"…You could say that." David said. "Unless you don't want us to-"

"He killed my parents. I **want **you to." I growled. As David wrapped the shirt around my injury, my vision suddenly became blurry, as phantom blots hovered in front of my eyes. I groaned and shut them.

"We can't move her, can we?" I heard Paul ask. "She's hurt too badly."

"No. We'll have to keep her here." David replied. "But we can't leave her alone." There was silence from him for a moment. "Marko?" he finally said.

I suddenly felt myself being lifted off the ground, my shoulder screaming in pain, though I was too weak to move myself. Moments later I was placed carefully onto a much softer surface, and I immediately recognized it as my bed.

"Open up." I heard Marko whisper as his icy fingers barely brushed my lips.

I didn't even bother to open my eyes, and I opened my mouth, feeling him pop in two small tablets, most likely pain pill inside. I swallowed and mumbled a thank you. After a few moments of laying absolutely still, ignoring the pain ebbing through my body, I drifted off to sleep.

My eyes flicked open and saw nothing but the dark. My shoulder still hurt like crazy and my throat ached for hydration. I slowly sat up, careful not to move my arm, and reached for the bedside lamp next to me.

The light, although normally gentle and soft, assaulted my eyes terribly and I flinched. I pried them open, in an attempt for them to adjust when the smallest of sounds alerted me. I whipped my head around to my opposite side and jolted in shock.

Asleep beside me lay Marko, one arm draped across his bare chest while the other was crooked around his head, his fingers weaved though his hair. We both remained absolutely still, him asleep and I staring in mild fascination. Now under normal circumstances, I'd flip out if I'd woke up to find him right beside me, yet now, as he lay sleeping, I couldn't look away from him.

He appeared so calm, so placid and quiet that I was absolutely taken. I was so used to seeing that enormous grin plastered to his face, that this now tranquil state was truly something to behold. For the first time he looked… pretty.

I suddenly felt disgusted with myself. "No, no" I told myself. "I'm supposed to hate you." But seeing him this way, I just didn't think I ever could. Not anymore.

After a few moments my scratchy throat reminded me of my need for water and I carefully pulled myself out of bed and trudged down the hall to the kitchen. I opened a cabinet above the wide metal sink and retrieved a glass from a high shelf. It slipped from my grip and crash landed on the countertop. I cursed. It had shattered into a hundred pieces across the counter. I pulled a trash basket from under the sink and began brushing in the glass. When I was sure there were no pieces left I scanned the cold linoleum for any more pieces when I placed my good hand down on a forgotten shard.

"Dammit." I muttered, and examined my hand. The shard had pierced the skin and was wedged into my palm. I extracted the object and tossed it into the trash-bin.

"Haven't you lost enough blood today?"

Marko appeared behind me and took my hand into his icy one. My back still to him, I twisted my neck and glanced up at him. He though, did not look at me directly. He was staring past my good shoulder and down at my bleeding palm.

"Kiss and make it better…" I heard him mumble, and I watched him in fascination and he pulled my hand over my head and pressed it to his lips.

I froze. Was this… intimacy? I suddenly felt something wet and smooth run over my cut and I jerked away.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded hotly. Oh my god, was that his _tongue_??

But he just stared at me painfully, like he was struggling to keep from throwing himself at me. His tongue flicked out and licked a speck of my blood on his upper lip. Finally he spoke. "We should go back to bed."

"I need water." I retorted.

He opened the cup cabinet and pulled another glass out. The pained look disappeared and the old smirk resurfaced. "Water." he said simply.

I accepted the cup and drank greedily. After draining the glass, I handed it back to him and he placed it on the counter. "Bed." he commanded, a sly look etched on his pale face.

He walked me back to my room and I laid out on the bed. I watched him walk around the other side and fall back lazily. "I'm taking you back tonight." he said. "And then you'll stay with us forever."

I raised a brow. "Forever?"

He reached over my head and turned off the lamp. "Forever." he replied, and not another word was said.

A/N Hmm, sexual tension??? Ha ha, hope you liked it, please review!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks so much for everyone's patience!!! I['m so sorry for the extra long wit. I've been slacking!!!Thanks so much for you wonderful reviews as well. In fact, I've been getting so many I can't really write out responses individually anymore. So I'm going for one great big thank you for everyone! I hope to see you reviews for this next update, and I hope I get it up soon!!**

I was only half asleep when an unexpected amount of weight crash landed on my stomach. "Ugh!" I cried out and lashed out instinctively. My arm collided with a soft and furry mass and flung said mass off of me. An agitated growl sounded off, and I immediately gasped and flipped on the lamp.

"Oh Thursday baby! I'm so sorry!" I cried, and dropped to the floor to bring solace to the offended feline. "I'm sorry kitty! Thank Jesus you're okay!" I flooded him with apologetic kisses and scratched his chin.

After a few moments of my pathetic groveling, he seemed to forgive me, and promptly jumped back up onto the bed, and curled up beside Marko, who lay sound asleep. I sighed and leaned back against the side of the bed, when I suddenly got a whiff of myself. I grimaced.

"Needa shower." I mutter and pulled myself up. I shuffled around in my drawers and pulled out a fresh shirt and jeans and plodded to the showers. After a good half hour, I

found myself to smell presentable and dried off. I looked down at my bandage that I had tried so hard to keep dry. The cloth was stained an ugly dark red, and I wondered what the actual wound looked like. As tempted as I was so unwrap myself, I didn't for fear of reopening the wound. I dressed.

As soon as I had buttoned up my jeans I heard a shuffle outside the door. Well, it was either the animal or Thursday. I opened the door to find Marko leaning back against the wall, the usual grin plastered to his face.

"Feeling pretty now?" he teased.

"Please," I scoffed. "I'm _always_ pretty." I looked down the long hall in search for Thursday. "The cat didn't leave, did he?"

"You mean _that_ cat?" Marko said, pointing in the opposite direction. Thursday lounged on a window sill, clawing at the wooden beams that boarded up the glass.

I turned. "Oh, right." I approached him and scratched his ears "Hey baby." I said and leaned in to kiss his furry head.

"Cat Lady." I heard Marko mumble, and I stuck my tongue out at him. "We're not uh, taking that thing with us are we?"

I raised a brow. "That's the whole reason I ended up here in the first place."

He wrinkled his nose a bit. "I don't think that'll work."

"And why not?" I inquired. "He's just a cat."

"First off, David's not a cat person. There's a snowball's chance in hell he'd actually consider it. Secondly we can't take it back on our bikes. It'd be a huge hassle."

My face fell as I realized he was right. I look at my feet, as I searched for some sort of solution. Would Sam take him in, maybe? What if I- Wait… Sam! Shit, I forgot about Sam!

Marko sensed my sudden distress. "What is it?"

I looked up. "Last night, I wasn't here alone." I confessed.

"Uh, yeah, that cop who shot you, I remember."

I waved him off. "No, no, a was with a boy. Michael's little brother Sam."

Marko shifted and crossed his arms. "Why was _he_ here with you?" he said darkly. I saw his jaw set tight. Was he jealous?

"He was helping me out."

"Yeah, he did a _great_ job too." Marko snorted. "I mean really, great friend you've got."

"Shut up, you don't know what happened." I snapped. "Look, I have to go and let him know I'm alright."

"Why can't you just have Michael play messenger-boy and tell him instead of you?"

"I don't want him to know I nearly got Sam killed. Besides, I want to see if he'll take care of Thursday for me." I shuffled close to him and stared up pleadingly. "Please? Help a

cripple out, here."

He stared back, unblinkingly as I continued to pout. Finally, he caved. "Fine. I'll take you." he grumbled. "But on one condition."

I nodded. "I'm listening."

"Tonight, we want to officially welcome you into the family." He said, a sly grin began to spread. "It's simple really. All you have to do is drink some wine, and you're in. Promise me you'll drink it."

"You'll take me to see Sam?"

"Yes."

"I'll drink it." I grinned and wrapped my good arm around his neck, pulling him into a hug. "Let's go then."

Marko scooped up the cat and walked me outside. It was dark out, of course, save for the Santa Carla rooftops which were flooded with lights. It took a while to get to Sam's house, since I had to stop a few times to rest. Well I had been _shot _after all. We stood outside the gate and looked at the house. Several windows were lit up, though I couldn't see anyone moving around inside.

"Stay here and hold the cat." I commanded, and opened the gate. I was only a few feet from the porch when the front door suddenly opened and from it emerged Sam's mother.

Her kindly face lit up at the sight of me. "Oh, Rosie! What a surprise. How are you?"

I smiled. "I'm great Mrs. Emerson. Is Sam at home right now?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry dear, Sam's not here right now. In fact, I think he went out looking for you. You could try looking for him at that comic book store he spends so much time in."

Edgar and Alan's comic store? Fabulous. "Thank you ma'am. I'll do just that. Good bye!"

I ran back to Marko, who was hanging back stealthily and out of sight. "Not home, huh?" he said, holding the cat in his arms and stroking it's fur. He looked like a Bond villain.

"Yeah, he's probably in town. I think I know where, though."

"I thought you said I'd have to take you to is house." he sighed irritably.

"No." I corrected him. "I said we'd have to find _Sam_. That was the deal. Now move your ass, we've got some ground to cover."

Heading downtown took less time than expected, though it was really wearing me out. We received a few odd glances from some old folks for reasons I suspect had something to do with us holding the cat. But of course, we ignored them. We began to near the store when Marko suddenly stopped short and announced that he would be staying outside with Thursday. I didn't question it.

I shuffled a bit closer and spotted Sam right off. He was facing the Frog's, his hand stuffed in his pockets. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but the Frog's expressions were deadpan. Well actually, that wasn't new. I couldn't tell what they were thinking.

Edgar's eyes flicked up and caught me staring. Sam and Alan followed his gaze and they both turned. Sam's face lit up. "Evie!" he gasped and he scrambled towards me. "Where the hell did you go? I though you died or something!" I tried to answer but the Frogs drew in closer as well and my throat closed up. Sam had my trust, but did I have theirs too?

"_Evie_? What the hell happened to your hair?" Alan asked, his head tilted a bit in confusion.

"Better question, what happened to your arm?" Edgar cut in.

"You know what? Too many questions from all of you. Get out of the line." I said, hoping my little joke would throw them off. I was wrong.

"Evie, you owe me this." Sam said. "And I think if you told them too, they might be able to help you."

"Are you plagued by vampires?" Edgar asked abruptly.

I glared at him. **"No**." Idiot.

"Then we can still help." he finished

I sighed. "I don't have time to explain everything, so Sam will have to fill you in, okay?" They agreed. "First off, I'm _really_ sorry about last night. The intruder ended up catching me and he kind of… shot… me." I murmured the last few words, hoping I wouldn't alarm anyone.

All three appeared shocked. "What?" Sam hissed "Are you serious?"

'"Yes Sam I'm-" I sighed, interrupting myself. "Look, I'm still alive, okay? The point is, I really need a favor."

"Go on." Sam said.

"Alright good news is, I found my cat!" I smiled brightly. "The bad news is, I can't take him with me." The smile faded. "And I want you to take care of him for me."

Sam bit his lip. "Nanook hates cats. I don't think I can do that. I'm really sorry Evie."

I ran a hand through my hair. "Damn it…" I growled. "I forgot you had a dog."

Edgar and Alan exchanged glances. "We don't have a dog." Alan said.

I raised a brow. "…Are you saying what I think you are?"

"We'll take the cat in." Edgar offered.

I gasped in delight. "Oh my god, thank you so much!" My excitement overwhelmed me and I launched myself at the Frogs, briefly planting a kiss on both. "You don't know what this means to me!"

The brothers, both surprised by my little ambush glanced away, trying to appear casual. I snorted. Virgins.

"Stay right here, I'll go get him." I darted out to Marko who stood exactly where I left him. "Cat please!" I grinned and held my arm out. "C'mon hand him over."

To my amazement he seemed almost reluctant to give up Thursday. Seems that they'd bonded during my short absence. I balanced him with my good arm and walked him back to the Frogs.

"This," I grunted, letting Edgar pick him up "is Thursday. He'll eat anything. Really, just look at him. He's a fatty."

I realized I could no longer waste anymore time, and Marko was waiting for me. I said several flustered 'thank you's' and 'goodbyes' and departed immediately.

I broke into a run and caught up to Marko. "Are you done now?" he said. "David is waiting."

We finally arrived back at the asylum a few moments later. Marko and I climbed on top of his motorcycle and sped off. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a chorus of "Evie!" Dinah seemed to apparate from nowhere and crush my torso with a steely hug.

"Where did you go!" she cried into my shirt, "I thought you left me too!"

Guilt sat in my stomach like lead. I felt so awful for worrying her so much. "I'm so sorry!" I apologized and returned the hug. "I would never hurt you like that. Ever." I looked up to find the boys staring uncomfortably at our tearful reunion. "What?" I snapped "Never heard of love before?"

Dwayne snorted and messed with my hair. "Ugh. Welcome back _Ee-vee._"

After a brief moment to settle in, David called Dinah and I out. Begrudgingly, we plodded over, growing suspicious of the fox-like smiles plastered to the Boy's faces. My eyes narrowed. "What now?" I glanced over at Star. She stood in a corner hugging her shawl tighter, and tighter, her already pale face slipping into an impossible shade of white.

Then David stepped forward wielding a dark wine bottle. The glow of the fire was caught in his white-blonde hair, and glinted off his dangerous ice blue eyes as he extended his arm to offer me the bottle. "Evie, you're one of us, right?"

Something about David's voice set off an alarm in my head. There was an underlying threat, a hidden secret that only David knew of. My fingers twitched. I swallowed. "You have to ask?"

He smirked. "I like you Evie. We all do. But I've already told you that." He raised the bottle a bit higher. "Just think of it as… initiation. Join the dark side Evie, we have cookies."

Star appeared beside me, looking wholly anxious and frightened. "You don't have to do this." she rasped, uncharacteristically. "You shouldn't. Please."

Marko suddenly coughed, and I glared at him. I had to drink it, or he'd never get off my case. _Never. _Ignoring Star and hating myself entirely, I took the bottle from the menacing blonde and took a swig. The liquid was oddly sweet, but it had an underlying rusty and metallic taste, like copper. I coughed, and the cave was suddenly filled with cheers. I didn't fully appreciate their excitement, not bothering to find it as such a big deal.

I stood there, deadpan and statue still until their rapture died down and the stood staring directly at me, puzzled by my indifference. I cleared my throat. "Yes, well, this was super and all, but I just got _shot_ yesterday and I need to lie down. I'm sure you understand."

I turned and started to shuffle back to bed when David spoke, announcing how close sunrise was upon us. The Boys proceeded to shuffle into their dark, dank side of the cave,

leaving Star and the kids with me to our own beds. We climbed in and drifted off to sleep, awaiting the next night with anticipation.

A/N If I tell you I love you, will you review for me?


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys, thanks for all your reviews, and of course, your patience! Hope you enjoy!**

Suzy sat grim-faced before her new foster parents. After their revelation in Bishop's office, they arranged another meeting with Church and organized an escape plan. Only a moments later did they receive news that they were being taken to a new home in a few short hours, which threw off _everything_. All they could do was wait and hope for the best.

Suzy set her mouth in a thin line, watching her foster mother grow more and more impatient with her.

"If your just going to stand around and say nothing, at least do it where you're not in the way!" the pudgy brunette woman barked. "Honestly, Harry what a brat!"

Beside her stood a short, graying man in his forties, with a thin nose and hollow cheeks. "Debbie, she's just nervous." he spoke in a slightly wheezy voice. "Give her a chance, my dearest."

Debbie wrinkled her fat nose in distaste, and huffed. "Fine, but she still needs to move her stick ass."

Harry flicked his light gray eyes to Suzy and smiled kindly. "Suzy, would you please step aside for Debbie?"

Clearly a kinder, more reasonable man. Suzy thought to herself, and obediently scooted out of the fat woman's path. The old man disappeared into the kitchen and Debbie hobbled into the living room. Feeling defeated, Suzy turned and began to trudge up the stairs when the doorbell rang.

Suzy paused to listen, as Debbie and the visitor's conversation caught her attention. There was a male voice, not Harry's, but it certainly was familiar. In fact it sounded… like…

"Hello Miss Drew, I'm Officer Wright." said a tall policeman with cat green eyes and a closely shaved head. "There's been a mix up of sorts with your paperwork, and we'd like you to come back with me to the station to fix it right up."

"You only need me?" Suzy replied, a grin splitting her face from ear to ear. "Officer _Wright_?"

The policeman walked Suzy to his squad car, and drove off. At their first stoplight, he turned to face Suzy in the back seat.

"How you like my new haircut, Suze?" he grinned slyly.

"I cannot believe you shaved you head Church.! I think it makes you look older though, I'll admit it.." she replied. "Are we going to get Victor now?

X x X x X x X

Three days passed before I began to feel… sick. I was constantly thirsty and my throat ached terribly, no liquid seemed to help. Michael was around often, growing edgier each time I saw him. He seemed worse off than me. I had yet to visit the Sam or the Frogs or simply check up on my poor cat, but my condition left me irritable and unreasonably disagreeable, so I did my best to avoid setting off a bomb.

Everyone was up at some point, though I did not join them in any sort of frivolity. I laid out on my bed listening to sound of the ocean when I suddenly realized something absolutely bizarre. My shoulder didn't hurt. Not even a dull throb. I sat up and pulled my short sleeve back. The dulled bandage still had a large red-brown blood stain, but that didn't mean the wound was still open. I licked my lips and dared myself to unwrap it.

"Just take a look." I whispered to myself. "Then put it back. Nothing wrong, nothing wrong…"

Slowly, deliberately, the bandage was pulled away. I gasped. Smooth skin, not even a whisper of a scar. I sat dumbstruck, my heart rate rising with panic. My head snapped up at the barest sound of footsteps behind me. I whirled to find Marko lingering by my bed, wielding his usual smirk.

"Something wrong Evie?" he said smoothly.

"It's just-just-" I stuttered, then abruptly snatched Marko's arm drawing him closer. "LOOK AT IT!"

He sat down and examined my arm closely for a moment before replying. "What about it?" he said absently.

"What do you mean 'what about it?' Can't you see it's gone?" I cried, my voice rising to hysteria.

He smirked maddeningly. "Gone? Your arm? No Eve, it's still there."

My frustration left me unable to reply to his idiocy in a civil manner and I ended up growling at him. "Not. funny." I spat. Marko sighed and pulled me close. "God, you're infuriating." I mumbled into his shirt. "_This_ is infuriating. Makes no sense…" My fingers gently tugged on his curls and we sat in silence while my mind wandered. I sat up suddenly, feeling brave. "Marko… I want to try something."

Then I leaned forward and kissed him. It was small and timid, and I pulled back shortly. "I-I never thanked you."

My heart skipped a beat when he gave me an unexpected smoldering look and said "Do that again and we'll call it even."

He didn't have to ask me twice. His lips pressed against mine in a passionate, deep kiss. There was none of the simplicity from before—and no hesitation. This kiss was fiery and impulsive and I met the onslaught happily, opening my mouth and deepening it, my tongue tracing along his lower lip. I was suddenly aware of his scent, though not entirely pleasant, it was unique and I loved it. But there was something about him that would surprise me. His taste. It was familiarly sweet, yet metallic, like the wine David gave to me a few nights ago. But that thought was quickly cast aside when he abruptly pulled back.

"David's got something special in mind for you tonight." was the excuse. Then he grinned like a feral cat. "You hungry?"

X x X x X x X

The wind whipped through my hair as the Boys sped across the lifeless Santa Carla dirt, the edge of the woods drawing closer every second. My were arms wrapped securely around Marko's waist, and I, careful not to lean too far, looked past his shoulder and caught a glimpse of David's platinum hair billowing behind him as we rode on. I had several theories on why he and the Boys were dragging me out to god knows where without the kids, or even Star for that matter.

Some part of me expected them to halt at the perimeter of the thick mass of trees, yet I felt little surprise when they barely decreased their speed and drove right on through, narrowly dodging every obstacle. Finally we stopped in a less crowded area where a small, decrepit, shack of a house stood.

I climbed off the motorcycle and lingered before the shack-house as I waited for some form of explanation.

David materialized beside me, pulling a cigarette from behind his ear and lit it. "Take a look Evie." his chilling voice said. "You might like what you find."

I narrowed my eyes but said nothing, and made my way toward the shack. If there was a dead animal or something particularly nasty in there, I'd kill him. No, first I'd castrate him, _then_ kill him. I swallowed, my throat drier than ever now. I was beginning to believe I had developed strep-throat when the door to the house fell open. I inhaled sharply.

The headlight of the bikes illuminated the interior of the shack and there, lying pitifully in a fetal position was Agent Henry Bishop, his hands and feet bound securely with thick rope. He stared up at me, wild eyed and frightened. His eyes were red-rimmed and an ugly black and purple bruise encircle his left eye and nose, which was caked in dried blood. In fact, all down his once crisp-white shirt was a wash of old blood. Upon realizing my identity, he began to scream.

For only a moment, I felt sorry for him, sympathizing with his unholy terror. It was obvious the Boys had brought him here and punished him severely. But his screaming only reminded me of my mother's screams, and the intense agony in my heart that followed them. My fury boiled and I assailed him with a sharp kick to the ribs.

"SHUT UP!" I roared. He cried out and the screaming subsided, though he whimpered pathetically.

I hated him. There was no question about it. And the burning hunger in the pit of my stomach and throat would only add fuel to the fire. God, I was hungry… so thirsty…

I knelt and grabbed Bishop by the throat and positioned him upright. His dark hair was in complete disarray and I swept away a few strands out of his eyes. His bottom lip had been split open, and was bleeding freely. And for some reason, I couldn't look away. To watch the crimson roll slowly onto his chin was so… enticing. And it just smelled so good. I leaned forward and licked the blood off his lips before I fully realized what I was doing. The taste exploded on my tongue, sweet and spicy, hot and cold, and my throat ached for more.

I stumbled back. "What-?"

"-You can feel it, can't you?" David said abruptly. "You can smell it, you can _tassste_ it." He walked in and knelt beside Bishop. "Evie…"

And then I looked at him. His feature were gruesomely fixed now, his once icy blue eyes a cat-like yellow. But the most unsettling part was the fangs, long and lethal, vicious and venomous. The illumination of the headlight revealed him for what he truly was.

"You know what to do." his voice now below freezing point.

I turned back to the whimpering FBI agent, my gaze artic and merciless. "You took everything from me." I said throatily. "My family, my friends, and now… _my soul_."

I tore into his flesh, hot blood spilling into my mouth and down my throat. The scarlet liquid eased my ravenous appetite immensely, and I pulled back. And for the final moment of Bishop's life, I watched the last of the lights leave his eyes. I shut my eyes tight, though his image was burned into my vision. I had done it. I had damned my soul to hell, and there was no going back now. Never, never…

"Celebrate Boys," David called out. "and welcome our new little sister!"

Cheers erupted form behind me, and I ran my tongue over my newly acquired fangs. They were sharper than I expected.

"Go away, be a dream…" I murmured, and the fangs instantly slid back up into my gums. But the hot, wet blood stain on my shirt only brought me back to the reality that I was now a creature of the night. A freaking vampire.

I stepped out of the shack and ran to Marko. He pulled me into a hug and planted one on me. I didn't return the kiss. Instead, I glared up at him accusingly. "Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded, my voice cracking noticeably.

Marko looked down at me, amused. "Because we knew how you'd react. And we- _I_ want you to be one of us." He wiped a spot of blood on the corner of my mouth away with his thumb.

Before I could respond, Paul and Dwayne came up from behind me and mussed with my hair.

"Time for a test run, E!" Dwayne announced. "Marko?"

Marko grabbed my right arm tightly and grinned. "Ready?"

"Ready for wha-AAH!?!"

In that second he had launched the two of us off the ground and up into the cool Santa Carla sky. At once it occurred to me that we were flying.

"Ah! Shit!" I shrieked and clung to Marko. I glared when he began laughing uncontrollably. "Shut up, I don't like heights."

He snorted. "It's not like the fall will kill you." When I didn't respond he loosened his grip on my arm and reached for my hand. "C'mon."

He leaned forward and flew, pulling me along with him. The feeling was exhilarating, and although cliché, like I could do anything. The wind whistled through my ears and electrified my skin as we flew in low above the trees. Marko released my hand and landed gracefully on a large branch. I descended as well, only to land firmly on solid ground.

"There are rules, aren't there?" I said. "Like with the sun? Or holy water?"

I watched him grimace and slide off the branch. "Yes. As you probably know, the sun will turn vampires into crispy critters in seconds. There's no sun block powerful enough to protect us. Holy water is toxic, like acid rain to us. And you don't have to be a vampire for a stake to kill you."

"What else?" I demanded.

"Garlic doesn't do jack. And the whole coffin thing? Bullshit."

I bit my lip. "And the blood?"

He quirked a brow. "You have to feed Evie. You'll never grow old, and you'll never die, but the blood is a necessary evil."

I shivered and looked down at my feet. "Do Star and Laddie know?"

"Yeah. But they won't do it. They won't make the change. David's real pissed about that." he replied.

"How'd you do it? I thought you had to bite someone to be a vampire?"

He shrugged. "We don't have to. The wine you drank was blood. David's own blood."

I shuddered. "Oh god, that's why you… wait. Dinah. What'll happen to Dinah? She didn't drink-"

"Hey, hey calm down. I don't know why David didn't make her drink yet, but don't freak out okay?" he said soothingly. "He probably just thought she's too little."

"If he even _thinks_ about turning that baby, I'll bury him so far into the ground that the Earth's _core_ will incinerate him." I snarled.

Marko smirked. "Good to know. Ready to go back?"

We didn't fly all the way back of course, considering we couldn't leave Marko's motorcycle behind, but instead of the usual entry, they led me around back into a dilapidated cave, signs of "Danger" and "Keep out" boarded up the ominous dwelling.

Once inside the dark, dank cave, the Boys kicked off their shoes and flew up to a thick wooden beam. Instantly, their feet transformed into hideous talons and clung to the beam before letting go and hanging upside-down.

"Coming to bed, Evie?" David smirked.

I laughed nervously. "Um, I think I'll stay down here for tonight."

"Suit yourself." he folded his arms and shut his eyes.

Marko kissed me goodnight and did the same leaving me to myself. I walked back a bit farther in and rested up against a large, curved rock. I suddenly thought of Church , Suzy and Victor, then of poor, dead Eli. God, if they knew, oh if they knew what she had done.

My final thought before falling fast asleep was of little Dinah, and how I could keep David from her. Even if it meant I might never see her again.

**A/N Okay listen up! The next chapter is pivotal, and it's up to you to decide what happens. I have two options, One being that if I don't write a sequel to this, the ending may be happy. If I do write a second part, some of you Marko fans may not be so pleased. Please review and tell what you think!!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Im so ashamed for making everyone wait so frickin long! I'm really sorry guys!!!!**

My eyes fluttered open at the sound of voices coming from the entrance. I sat up and was greeted with a sharp scent. Human blood. Someone was here. The voices became distinctively clearer as I left my makeshift bed and drew in closer.

"_We don't know which one the leader is! I guess we'll just have to kill them all. We'll start with the little one."_

"_First come, first staked."_

Realization and panic hit me like an eighteen wheeler. Frog brothers. Marko. The little one… MARKO!!

With a burst of speed, I sprinted to the Boys to find Edgar lingering in front of Marko, stake in hand. He gritted his teeth and raised the stake. "Good night bloodsucker!"

Just as his arm came crashing down I screamed "EDGAR NO!!"

He stumbled but the stake still impaled the sleeping vampire. Marko's shot open, his screams blending with my own. A thick, gooey, fluid spurted from his wound and into the Frog's faces, and they tumbled off their precarious ledge screaming.

Marko's body collapse on top of the two teenage vampire hunters with a thud. I ran to his side and fell to my knees, a flood of tears streaming. I felt utterly helpless as he writhed in pain.

"EVIE??" a new voice cried. I looked up to find Sam staring in horror. "What the hell?"

I felt myself shaking uncontrollably. I felt sick and repressed the urge to vomit. No, he couldn't possibly have anything to do with this! Traitor, liar! I felt my fangs elongate and I bared them menacingly. "GET OUT! GET OUT NOW!"

"Jesus, she's one of them!" Alan cried. "Lets get out of here! Go, GO!"

The three remaining vampires were wide awake now, their faces transformed into the monstrous masks from before. "YOU'RE DEAD MEAT!" David roared in fury and dropped from his perch. Sam and the Frogs continued to scream and darted out of the cave, with David hard on their heels.

I knelt next to Marko, holding him, weeping, telling him he'd be all right. His screams were agonizing, and to my despair, rapidly growing weaker. I begged him not to die. Oh god, if I lost someone again…

Paul and Dwayne surrounded us, their eyes red and stained with tears. Marko gave one last twitch and I choked. He was gone. I felt someone's arms wrap around me soothingly and pull me in. It was David. I buried my head into his chest and we wept.

What seemed like hours passed before we pulled away, and the hatred began to overcome the desolation. There was talk of revenge, a full-out bloodbath was in store for Sam, Edgar and Alan. And I wanted in.

"You'll regret this Sam." I croaked. "I'm coming for you."

**Dinah's POV**

The sun blared through the curtains and into Dinah's eyes. She sat up and scratched her nose. It wasn't long before she noticed that her guardian was missing from her bed. "Evie?" she called out sleepily.

"Dinah." a male voice beckoned to her hurriedly.

The five-year old whipped around. "What are you doing here Michael?" she demanded.

Michael shook his head. "There's no time, you have to come with Star and Laddie and me."

Too tired to protest, she allowed him to pick her up and carry her outside. He dropped her in the seat of a blue convertible and commanded that she stay put. Dinah leaned back into a bundle of blankets. The bundle jerked as she came into contact and the little girl jumped.

"Laddie? Is that you? Where are we going Laddie?" she whined, growing anxious. She was answered with a grumble and sharp nudge.

Within minutes, Michael reappeared holding Star in his arms possessively. He placed her gently in a seat and climbed into the driver's side. "Hold on a little longer Dinah, we have a few more passengers left." he assured her. He then curled up and shut his eyes.

Soon enough three boys ran out of the cave screaming. "Start the car! Mike! Mike! Start the car!" a spiky haired boy yelled continuously. He sprinted to the car and tried to wake Michael.

The remaining two stumbled frantically down the steps. They seemed to be covered in something wet and sticky.

"We blew it man, we lost it!" The dark haired one with a beret exclaimed, clearly panicked.

"Shut up!" the other snapped. He donned a red bandanna around his head, and scowl was etched permanently into his features.

But dark hair didn't let up. "We unraveled in the face of the enemy!"

"It's not our fault," bandanna protested "they pulled a mind scramble on us. They opened their eyes and talked."

It occurred to Dinah that they were talking about the Boys, but what on earth had they done?

The spiky headed to offered to drive, only to be denied by the others. "We don't ride with vampires."

Dinah's little brow furrowed. "Vampires?" she asked quizzically. "But they're not real."

Bandanna scowled. "Don't bet on it kid."

Spiky hair shrugged. "Fine, stay here."

The two exchanged panicky glances. "We do now. C'mon Sam lets get out of here!"

The car jerked forward nearly plummeting off the cliff and into the ocean. Bandanna cursed and the one called Sam yelled at him furiously. Dinah clung to her seat, terrified and confused as the convertible did a one-eighty and sped off.

Before long, nature disappeared from the scene and was replaced with the urbanization of Santa Carla.

An unsettling urge to vomit sat deep in the pit of Dinah's stomach. This wasn't right. Where was Evie? "Stop the car." But nobody seemed to hear her. The car made a turn onto a busy road and slowed for the thickening traffic. "Let me out." she tried again.

Bandanna turned his head and stared. "What do you want, kid?"

"I want to go home. Let me out." she pleaded.

"We can't stop now!" Sam exclaimed. "You have to stay with us."

Dinah's lower lip began to tremble. "No. Let me out, I want Evie! Please!"

"Pipe down, we're almost there!" Bandanna threatened. He cursed under his breath and turned back around.

From there on out, Dinah sat quietly in her seat, tapping her foot impatiently, and gnawing on her bottom lip until it was ragged. The car finally arrived at a big house, the yard completely filled with bizarre ornaments and statues. Michael finally sat up and scooped up Star in his arms bridal-style, and carried her into the house. Sam and the dark haired boy did the same for Laddie and herself as they rushed inside. They were stopped abruptly on the stairs as an older man called out to them, saying something about the car and the gas tank, but Dinah's drowsiness had begun to take over and she missed out on the conversation. It wasn't until she felt the familiar comfort of a soft bed that she finally drifted off again, her poor, five-year-old mind filled with worry.

The next sound that reached her ears was screaming. She sat up bolt right and scanned the room. She was alone, but concluded that the screams were coming from outside. She fled the room and stood at the top of the stairs to find everyone standing at the front door, screaming for Sam.

"MICHAEL, THEY'RE COMING!" Star screamed in terror, struggling to hold Laddie back.

She pulled him inside, followed by Dark Hair and Bandanna, followed by Sam and Michael who were scrambling desperately to close the door and get their dog inside. Star and Laddie ran up the stairs frantically when a sudden explosion erupted form the fire place.

A dark figure sprang up and hung from the ceiling. Dinah gasped. Was that Dwayne? His face had been twisted into a hideous mask, fang-toothed and snarling. It didn't take long for Dinah to register that he was a great threat to her. To everyone. She needed to hide. She located a blanket closet further down the hall and hid herself inside, trembling and crying.

It seemed ages before there was a great pause of silence. An achingly familiar voice reached Dinah's ears. "Evie!" she whispered. She flung open the closet door and darted to the top of the stairs crying out hoarsely "EVIE!"

**Evie's POV**

I had him. I Sam by his throat when that sweet sound floated through my ears. My head snapped around. "Go away Dinah." I commanded. "Go back **now**."

I returned my attention to my ex-friend. "You hurt me Sam. You betrayed me." my voice wavered with fury and sadness. "I thought you were my friend." I tightened my grip and leaned in close. "But you _killed_ him."

"Evie!" he gasped. "I didn't … know…! I'm… sorry!" He started to turn blue as he struggled in my monster-grip.

"Let him go, you blooding sucking bitch!" Edgar snarled. Alan and Michael loomed beside him, anticipating my moves. I only growled ferally and held on.

"Evie! I don't know what happened, but you can't do it!" Dinah cried. "Don't hurt him!" she scrambled down the steps and wrapped her small arms around my waist. "You're not a bad person! Don't hurt him!" she pleaded.

I stared hard at Sam. I wanted to let go of him so badly. But I wanted to hurt him, like he hurt me. Hurt Marco. But God, oh God, my poor baby was right. I couldn't do it.

I released his throat and we both dropped to the floor, him gasping for air, and myself, sobbing in agony. I had lost so much. My parents, Eli, Marco. David and the others were dead now too. I was truly alone.

"Sam." I choked suddenly. "I'm so sorry." I stood shakily and turned towards the door when Lucy came bursting in. A tall man with glasses followed suit.

"Sam!" she cried "What's happened?" Sam and the Frogs rushed over, a jumble of explanations pouring out.

Lucy's gentleman friend ran over to the spot where David's body lay, his broad chest impaled by two great antlers. I pulled Dinah back as the man reached out tenderly to touch David's face. Something smelled wrong about him.

Michael had fallen back into the shadows with Star, too ashamed of his condition to appear before his mother and brother.

"I'm sorry Lucy. This is all my fault. David and my boys misbehaved. I told you boys need a mother." The tall man spoke unexpectedly.

"Max," Lucy said "What are you talking about?"

Max turned towards the fire place lazily, ignoring the question.

"I knew it! You're the head vamp!" Sam accused. Lucy scolded him, until Star stepped forward.

"You're the secret David was protecting." she breathed. Max nodded smugly.

"Who's this? Lucy questioned, but was thrown off when the Frogs finally stepped in.

"But you passed the test!" Alan yelled, unnecessarily.

Max turned and smirked. "Never invite a vampire into your house, you silly boy!" he spoke to him as though her were a mentally deficit child. "It renders you powerless!"

Sam turned to Edgar accusingly. "Did you know that?"

"Of course." he said unconvincingly. "Everyone knows that."

"Liar." I mumbled, and he turned to glare daggers at me.

"Has everyone gone crazy around here? What's the matter with all of you? Why is Rosie here? What's going on?" Lucy demanded, clearly flustered. Who could blame her?

It was you I was after all along, Lucy." Max said suddenly. "I knew if I could get Sam and Michael in to the family, there's no way you could say no."

"What? Where's Michael?" Lucy cried.

But Max ignored her. "It was all going to be so perfect. Your boys… and my boys." He turned his gaze over to David's body, his back now to us.

"Great, the blood-sucking Brady Bunch!" Edgar snapped.

"But I still want you Lucy," Max turned his attention back to us, already transformed, or as the Frogs would say "vamped out." He grinned wildly and flashed his serpentine tongue out at us. "I haven't changed my mind about that!"

It was only then that Michael came to the rescue. "I didn't invite you this time Max!" he snarled savagely, and lunged at the vampire.

But Max merely shoved him away, knocking him back several feet. Star threw herself at him next, furiously. Max knocked her back as easily as Michael had. Even the Frog brothers were tossed aside like rag dolls.

It wasn't until he had Sam in his grasp that I was more than ready to intervene. "Let him go, creep!" I hissed, pushing Dinah behind me. "Or you'll hafta deal with me!"

Max's yellow eyes flicked over mine for only a second before losing interest. He extended his head and held it out to Lucy. "Don't fight Lucy. It's so much better if you don't fight."

Sam's pleas fell on deaf ears as she stepped forward with a heavy reluctance to allow Max to grab hold of her. His fangs had barely brushed her neck when a strange sound like a broken car horn sounded.

Michael by this time had immediately understood something I had not and leapt up, tackling Sam and his mother away from their attacker. And at that moment the wall across form them was blown away, crumbling to pieces as a car, yes, a _car_, came smashing through.

My first instinct was to protect Dinah, and I whirled around to cover her. The next thing I knew a deafening sound exploded from the fireplace, flames licking the air for a good near five seconds.

A smoky silence sat thick in the air as everyone attempted to recover. "It's over…" I heard Star whisper.

_Over for you maybe_, I nearly said aloud, but I set my mouth in a grim line and gently stroked Dinah's hair. It was just beginning for me.

Suddenly Laddie came flying down the stairs, shouting for Star. Everyone, save the Frog brothers, all grouped together in a massive hug. Dinah and I remained alone, feeling awkward and out of place.

Sam's grandfather emerged from the car and trodded towards the kitchen. I raised a brow. He seemed totally unfazed as he made a beeline for the fridge. The old man remained silent and took a swig from a bottle of root beer. "One thing about livin' in Santa Carla I never could stomach." he said finally. "All the damn vampires."

Everyone stared in a bewildered silence as the fridge slammed shut. The old man brushed past the crowd and, to my absolute horror, made his way past the rubble over to me. "You've made a terrible mistake, young lady." he announced. His words were blunt, but his voice was sympathetic. "You've no place here anymore."

He mean myself. Only myself. He wanted me to leave Dinah behind here, in Santa Carla. But who would take care of her?

"You know, I'm really not much of a T.V. viewer, but I did happen to catch the news today at my girlfriend's house." he sniffed. "Your friends left their foster families, and I'm sure they're here in Santa Carla looking for the two of you."

My head snapped up. He meant Church and Victor and Suzy. "You're sure?"

He nodded smoothly. "Yes, in fact, I met them on the way back here. They're outside right now."

My heart dropped as Dinah let out a whoop of joy. "CHURCH!!" She scrambled out the front door screaming for Church over and over, but I remained still.

"Aren't you gonna go see them?" Sam demanded quizzically. "Evie?"

"Sam…" I whispered miserably. "Don't."

And with my supernatural speed, I turned and fled the house, back to the cave. I could never face them, after everything that had happened. I could never explain myself, or apologize enough to truly feel loved around them.

I finally entered the cave and threw myself down on my knees, when my throat tore open a blinding scream, and I pounded my fist against the ground over and over until the scream turned to pathetic, ragged sobs. I buried my head in my lap and cried until I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder.

I flinched and straightened myself. "…M-Marco?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Ladies and gentleman, I'm dreadfully sorry to announce that this is the final chapter of the Runaways. I want to give my undying thanks to all my wonderful reviewers for their input and insight throughout this adventure! It is your words that inspire my creativity and makes writing all worthwhile! **

**This chapter is more of an Epilogue because of its shortness. The chance of a sequel is slim, but who knows, I may be inspired! And on this final note I wish to say one final thing to DieinSilenceX…**

**You're an alcoholic, Pearl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

There, trembling like a falling leaf stood my immortally undead love. "Evie…" he croaked, and collapsed beside me.

I reached out instinctively and caught him in my arms, desperate and frantic. His face, although just as pale and icy as it always was, was contorted into a mask of pain. He had a gaping hole I his chest where the stake had run him through.

"How?" I rasped in utter confusion. "You should be dead! Truly dead!"

"Sumbitch… missed it…" he mumbled weakly. "Missed my heart…"

I cradled his face in my hands and kissed his forehead. "What do you need? Tell me, what do you need?" I spoke softly, but I already knew the answer. He needed blood to heal. "Stay here." I commanded.

I gently laid him down and launched an immediate search for the bottle of wine/David's blood. It wasn't until I felt a sharp crunch under my boot did I discover it had already been smashed to pieces. I cursed loudly and ran back to Marko.

Without a second thought, I unbuttoned my shirt and leaned in close to him. "Drink mine." I commanded.

I instantly spotted the protest in his eyes, but I delivered a swift kiss before he could say anything. "Listen to me. The bottle is gone, you have to drink my own."

I could see it now. He wanted it. He was as desperate as I was, but yet he still hesitated. It was driving my mad. "Please!" I said more urgently. "I will not lose you again!"

And with that, he submitted. Pulling me in close, he wrapped his left arm around my waist, and placed his right behind my head, as if to support it. Then he bowed his head and bit.

I hissed and clutched at the fabric on his shoulder. The pain was sudden, and sharp, but bearable. I could feel my blood pooling out of me, a strange, intense feeling. My vision was beginning to blot with dark spots until Marko finally pulled away.

I collapsed flat on my back, using all of my effort to focus, and remain conscious. My breathing was shallow. "Marko…"

"Where are the others?" Marko said abruptly.

The images of the desecrated bodies of the Boys filled my thoughts and again, I began to cry. How could I tell him? If I did, he'd do exactly what they had to avenge his death. And I couldn't let that happen. I'd have to lie.

"We thought you were dead." I wept. "We went after them but they…"

I choked on my words, trying to force myself to level my breathing. This took a good ten minutes before I was able to speak intelligibly. And the lies came spilling out. "Paul was killed first. Then Dwayne and David. I took care of Michael and the other survivors myself after he… after he killed Max."

"He killed Max?" Marko's voice was barely a whisper. "He killed all of them?"

I didn't dare look at his face. I could already feel him radiating waves of anguish and immense hatred. The same pain and hate that overcame me the day Bishop killed my family. The day I watched Eli fall face down on the concrete after that gut-wrenching, heart-ripping sound of a gun split the air. We now knew the other's pain, and would forever be alone with ourselves.

"I can't stay here anymore." I deadpanned, suddenly remembering the old man's instruction's to get out of Santa Carla. "I can't."

Marko's words became cold and clipped. "You're leaving me?"

I finally fixed my gaze upon his face, absorbing every detail of his pale, youthful countenance. "No." I replied shortly. "I'm taking you."

"And go where?!" he suddenly shouted. "We have everything here! How can you leave now?!"

""How can _you_ stay?!" I shot back, my voice rising as well. "It _hurts_ me to be here, doesn't it hurt you? This is the last place on Earth I want to live, and so help me GOD, if you don't come with me, I'LL KILL MYSELF!"

My words echoed off the walls, and were followed by a heavy silence. My eyes bore into Marko's, unwavering and harsh. I had meant what I said, and he seemed to sense it.

"You don't…" he trailed off. Silent as the grave, he stepped forward and pulled me into kiss. It was sad, and pleading, and it nearly broke my heart to accept it. "Take me then." he murmured between kisses.

I couldn't help but nearly crush him in a steel-trap-like hug. "Thank you." Was all I could manage to blurt out. "Oh God, just… just thank you."

I loosened my grip and pulled back. "We'd better leave while it's still dark."

Marko's beautifully familiar Cheshire cat smile spread across his lips. "What's the hurry?" he said slyly. "I mean, after all, we have to cave all to ourselves for the first time."

I immediately caught his drift and made an attempt to scowl. I failed. "Tomorrow then. Promise me."

Without warning he swept me up in his arms bridal style and kissed me on the forehead.

"Promise."

**The End**


End file.
